THE BRITISH JOURNAL OF DIABETES AND VASCULAR DISEASE 87 CURRENT TOPICS

The mechanism by which postprandial glucose load and sudden cardiac death are linked is not fully understood. This study compares the postprandial response of 8-hydroxy-deoxy-guanosine (8-OHdG)and erythrocyte glutathione (GSH) in control and type 2 dia-betes groups. 8-OHdG was significantly elevated in type 2 diabetic patients (824.1±331.2 and 1087±273.1 pg/ml at the first and second hours respectively, p<0.05, versus 600.4±214.4 pg/ml at baseline) following a glucose load. This was associated with a significant reduction in the level of erythrocyte GSH after the first hour (59.1±9 mg/100ml; p<0.001) compared with the basal level (72.1±9 mg/100ml), followed by a significant elevation in the second hour (71.5±11.1 mg/100ml; p<0.001) com-pared with the first hour, bringing the GSH level only back to base level. The increase in 8-OHdG in people with type 2 diabetes during the postprandial period further supports previous evidence of a defective antioxidant response and greater risk of heart attack due to blood vessel endothelial cell damage and smooth muscle proliferation. Br J Diabetes Vasc Dis 2011;11:87-91. Key words: type 2 diabetes mellitus, oral glucose tolerance test, 8-hydroxy-deoxy-guanosine, erythrocyte reduced glutathion