Serum Levels of Antibodies to Advanced Glycation End Products in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and Hypertension

Abstract

Background and Aims:Proteins containing advanced glycation end products are highly immunogenic and anti-advanced glycation end products antibodies (anti-AGEs antibodies) are found in the sera of diabetics. Materials and methods:Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used for measuring levels of anti-advanced glycation end products antibodies in sera of 93 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and arterial hypertension (mean age 61.4±11.3 years, diabe - tes duration 9.88±3.12 years; hypertension duration 9.28 ± 4.98). These values were compared to serum anti-AGEs antibodies in 42 age and sex matched controls. Diabetics were divided in two groups according to presence or absence of microangiopathy , group 1 (n=67) and group 2 (n=26), respectively. Results: Serum levels of anti-AGEs antibodies in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and arterial hypertension were statistically significantly higher than those in the control group (1.39±0.39 vs. 1.05±0.32), ( p <0.05). Group 1 showed significantly higher levels of anti-AGEs antibodies than those of healthy controls(1.53±0.14 vs. 1.05±0.32), ( p <0.01). Anti-AGEs antibodies levels were higher in patients with microvascular complications than these in patients without complications. Anti-AGEs antibodies correlate with diastolic blood pressure ( r =0.26, p =0.05) and body mass index ( r =0.37, p =0.03). We found significantly higher percentage of positive patients for anti-AGEs antibodies (mean+2SD) in group 1 than in group 2. Conclusion: Determining the levels of serum anti-AGEs antibodies can help physicians make early diagnosis and prognosis of the severity of late diabetic complications in hypertensive patients.