Association between oxidative stress and telomere length in type 1 and type 2 diabetic patients.

Background: Increasing evidence showed that telomere length was shorter in age-related diseases, but the mechanism of this phenomenon is still unclear. Aim: To determine whether telomere shortening occurs in type 1 and 2 diabetes, and explore the effect of antioxidant status on the telomere length. Subjects and methods: Type 2 diabetic patients (T2D, n=62), type 1 diabetic patients (T1D, n=34), and non-diabetic subjects as control(CTL,n=40) were included in this study. Leukocyte telomere length ratio(T/S ratio) was measured using a quantitative PCR and analyzed. Antioxidant status was estimated by 8-OHdG quantization. Other biomarkers, such as fasting plasma glucose, fasting insulin, HbA1c and lipid profile were also measured. Results: Compared with CTL group(T/S ratio[mean ± SD], 2.39±0.55), leukocyte telomere length was significantly shorter in T2D group (1.67±0.50) and T1D group (1.77±0.50). 8-OHdG that indicated oxidative stress was significantly higher in T2D (2.99±0.85 ng/mL) and T1D (2.03±0.92 ng/mL) group than in CTL group (0.90±0.46 ng/mL). T/S ratio was significantly negatively correlated with age, waist circumference, waist-to-hip ratio, diastolic blood pressure, fasting plasma glucose, HbA1c, HOMA-IR and 8-OHdG in the whole population. 8-OHdG was independent risk factor for telomere shortening in both T1D(P=0.018) and T2D group(P=0.022). Conclusions: In our study, shorter telomere length and increased oxidative stress were observed in both type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Older people with central obesity, hyperglycemia, insulin resistance and severe antioxidant status tended to have shorter telomere length. In addition, 8-OHdG was independent predictor for telomere length for both type 1 and type 2 diabetic patients.
PMID: 23873360