6th ESACP Congress, Heidelberg, April 7-11, 1999

A097
APOPTOTIC CELL DEATH AND OXIDATIVE STATUS IN LYMPHOCYTES FROM TYPE I / TYPE II DIABETIC PATIENTS
Losa GA, Graber R

Laboratorio di Patologia Cellulare, Istituto di Patologia, Locarno, Switzerland

Intracellular glutathione (GSH), gamma-glutamyltransferase (gamma-GT) and glutathione-S-transferase (GST) antioxidative enzymes involved in GSH metabolism, immunophenotype profile and apoptotic cell death were investigated in peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) isolated from patients with insulin-dependent type I (IDDM) and non insulin-dependent type II (NIDDM) diabetes mellitus. There was no correlation between any of the measured parameters and the quality of diabetic control (HbA1c level). The absolute number of lymphocytes was increased whilst the percentage of CD3, CD4 and CD 8 T-lymphocytes was significantly reduced in both IDDM and NIDDM patients. Furthermore the absolute number and percentage of B-lymphocytes was found higher in IDDM than in NIDDM patients and healthy donors. PBMC from diabetic patients exhibited a slight yet significant reduced level of GSH and a significant dysregulation of the activity for both gamma-GT and GST enzymes. This accounted for a minor compromission of the oxidative status which appreared to be linked to the low plasma membrane permeability to propidium iodide and indicated that the rate of apoptotic cell death was reduced in PBMC from diabetic patients.