Oxidative stress and DNA damage in diabetic Nephropathy

Srilatha G, Rajesh Kumar G, Mrudula Spurthi K, Saraswati M, Swarnalatha G, Ram R, Dakshina murthy K V and Surekha Rani H

: J Bioengineer & Biomedical Sci

Abstract :

BiotechnologyIntroduction: Type 2 diabetes mellitus is the most common form of diabetes and constitutes 90% of the diabetic population in all countries. The major complications of diabetes mellitus include nephropathy, neuropathy, retinopathy and cardiovascular disease.Diabetic nephropathy is a devastating complication of diabetes mellitus and a major cause of end stage renal failure. Oxidative stress has been known to play an important role in the development and progression of diabetic nephropathy. It occurs as a result of the imbalance between ROS production and antioxidant defenses. Enhanced formation of ROS may affect oxidation of biomolecules such as lipids, proteins, and DNA. Objective: The present study has been undertaken to estimate Malondialdehyde (MDA) a lipid peroxidation product whose formation is accelerated by oxidative stress and also to evaluate the oxidative DNA damage caused due to ROS by Comet assay.Materials and Method: The study population consisted of 110 patients with Type 2 diabetic nephropathy and an equal number of age and sex matched healthy controls.Estimation of plasma malondialdehyde was carried out using the method of Gavino et al (1981). The Comet Assay or single cell gel electrophoresis assay which is one of the very widely used assays to microscopically detect DNA damage at the single cell level is carried out in peripheral blood lymphocytes by adopting Singh et al (1988) protocol.Results: Mean (±SD) of MDA levels in the patients were found to be significantly higher at P<0.01 compared to controls. Mean values of DNA damage were also found to be significantly higher in Diabetic nephropathy patients than in control group (P<0.001). Conclusion: This data indicates that the levels of DNA damage and MDA are increased in Diabetic nephropathy patients compared to controls suggesting the role of oxidative stress in pathophysiology of diabetic nephropathy. Thus the study also suggests that targeting oxidative stress may improve therapeutic options for diabetic nephropathy