Oxydative stress in type 2 diabetic patients: involvement of HIF-1 alpha AND mTOR genes expression

Biochemical and genetic mechanisms of oxidative stress (OS) developing in blood of patients with type 2 Diabetes mellitus (T2DM) were studied. Twenty patients with T2DM and 10 healthy persons participated in this study. Lipid peroxidation, the content of protein carbonyls and H2O2 production were measured in blood plasma and erythrocytes as OS biomarkers. Activity of SOD, catalase, and GPx as well as reduced glutathionе (GSH) level in plasma and erythrocytes were estimated. The gene expression of key regulators of oxygen and metabolic homeostasis (HIF-1α and mTOR) in leukocytes was studied. It was found a significant rise of TBARS and protein carbonyls content in plasma as well as of H2O2 production in erythrocytes from patients with T2DM compared to control. The diabetic patients also demonstrated an increase in the SOD and catalase activity in plasma and significantly lower GSH content and GPx activity in erythrocytes compared to the healthy participants. The established marked inhibition of mTOR gene expression and the tendency to an increase in HIF-1α gene expression in leukocytes of patients with T2DM may serve as a protective mechanism which counteracts OS developing and oxidative cell damage. Keywords: HIF-1α, mTOR, oxidative stress, type 2 diabetes mellitus