Oxidative stress can significantly influence lower extremities microangiopathy development in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM). Total cysteine and its various fractions levels can serve as an indicator of the plasma antioxidant potential. Cysteine various fractions levels in patients with T2DM and microangiopathy of the lower extremities was the aim of this research.
60 men from 55 to 70 years old were examined: 20 patients with T2DM without vascular complications and 40 patients with vascular complications - microangiopathy of the lower extremities of the 1st degree. The control group included 20 healthy men. Methods of high-performance liquid chromatography were used.
The level of total cysteine in patients with T2DM without complications decreased (1.76 times) compared to the control group level and relatively increased in T2DM patients with complications (1.16 times to the control group) . The level of the reduced cysteine fraction in patients with complications decreased by 1.75 times to the group without complications. The level of the oxidized fraction increased both in the group without complications (1.88 times) and in the group with complications (2.04 times) relative to the control. The ratio of the reduced fraction to the oxidized fraction decreased by 2.43 times in the group without complications and by 3 times in the group with complications relative to the control.
The content of total cysteine and its reduced fractions significantly decreases in patients with type 2 diabetes with complications in the form of microangiopathy of the lower extremities, which needs to be corrected with antioxidant drugs.