Analysis of the interaction between hyperglycemia and oxidative stress on immune cells of patients with type 2 diabetes

GEREZ EN; LAGUARDE N; SERRA HA; WALD MR; TORRACO LLANES M; FRECHTEL G

Mar del Plata

Congreso; Reunión Conjunta 2016 entre la Sociedad Argentina de Investigación Clínica (SAIC), la Sociedad Argentina de Inmunología (SAI) y la Sociedad Argentina de Farmacología Experimental (SAFE); 2016

SAIC, SAI, SAFE

Diabetics are predisposed to infections,suggesting an association between diabetes and immunosuppression, beinghyperglycemia the main factor involved. High glucose (HG) induces reactive oxygenspecies (ROS) and oxidative stress is involved in the pathophysiology. However, there are patients who recovernormally from infections. Genetic conditioning could be a factor involved. In aprevious work we observed that lymphocytes isolated from BALB/c mice were sensitiveto the deleterious effect of hyperglycaemia, while C57 were resistant.  Oxidative stress was implicated in thisdeleterious effect. In the present study we start to analyze the interactionbetween hyperglycemia and oxidative stress on immune cells in type 2 diabetic patients(D2). Antioxidant status was estimated by measuring glutathione content (GSH)and oxidative stress by measuring ROS generation in lymphocyte and monocytes isolatedfrom blood samples (basal). The immune function was studied by proliferationassays.  The influence of hyperglycaemia wasevaluated by preincubation of mononuclear cells in a HG-containing medium.  23 D2 and 11 clinically healthy individualswere evaluated. 14 D2 were metabolically decompensated with glycosylatedhemoglobin (HbA1c) > 8.5 and 9 had HbA1c < 8.5. The age ranged from 65-77years old, with 14 males and 9 females.  Fromthe 23 patients analyzed, only 9 (39%) presented lower basal GSH content (range10-18% of control) and an increment in ROS generation (range 29-122% of basal)after an incubation with HG. In parallel, these patients presented a decreasein lymphocyte proliferation after incubation with HG (p<0.05). There was nocorrelation between these parameters and the level of HbA1c in neither sex. Theseresults encourage the need to consider the state of oxidative stress in orderto understand the predisposition of D2 patients to immunosuppression.