Plasma Total Antioxidant Activity and Its Relation with Serum Uric Acid in Type 2 Diabetes and Non Diabetes: A Comparative Study

Oxidative stress has been found to be associated with variety of diseases including diabetes. It is conceivable that alteration in plasma antioxidant reserve along with serum uric acid levels may have a crucial role in diabetes mellitus (DM). The objectives of present study were to ascertain the plasma levels of total antioxidant activity (TAA) and serum uric acid (UA) in diabetes mellitus and to determine their cumulative effect on lipid peroxidation along with hyperglycemia. In the present study, plasma TAA, serum UA and erythrocyte malondialdehyde (MDA) levels along with fasting and postprandial plasma glucose levels were measured in 50 diabetic patients and statistically compared with that of age matched 50 non diabetics subjects, served as control by using student’s t test and Pearson correlation coefficient analysis. Plasma TAA levels were significantly low (p<0.05) in T2DM subjects as compared to healthy controls. Similarly, erythrocyte MDA and fasting blood sugar levels were significantly high (p<0.001) in T2DM subjects as compared to healthy controls. However, serum uric acid levels were altered insignificantly (p<0.1) in T2DM subjects as compared to healthy controls. Our findings indicate that hyperglycemia is closely associated with altered plasma TAA, MDA and serum uric acid levels due to augmented oxidative stress and thereby making the diabetic more susceptible to develop pathological consequences. Thus, consumption of antioxidant rich diet along with regular exercise could be an effective strategy to reduce the incidence of diabetes and its related complications.