Serum malondialdehyde level: Surrogate stress marker in the Sikkimese diabetics

BACKGROUND: The pbreakdown of phospholipids lead to accumulation of malondialdehyde (MDA) that is preferred as a surrogate marker of oxidative stress in diabetics. OBJECTIVE: To compare serum MDA levels along with other biochemical parameters between type 2 diabetic patients with and without complications. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This cross-sectional study was carried out in the Department of Biochemistry of a tertiary care teaching hospital in Sikkim on 60 type 2 diabetics and compared with 100 non-diabetic participants. The un-hemolyzed blood samples were used for estimation of biochemical parameters; MDA was estimated in serum by using trichloroacetic acid (TCA) and 1% thiobarbituric acid (TBA). Whole blood was used for estimation of glycated hemoglobin. The comparison of different parameters between cases and control was calculated by using Student's t test. RESULTS: In the study and control groups, no significant difference was noted with regard to independent variables. The fasting and postprandial serum glucose along with glycated hemoglobin from whole blood and the lipid profile differed significantly between the study and control groups. Overall, tmean serum MDA level in the study group was significantly higher thanin the controls. Male sex, addiction to tobacco (smoking and smokeless inclusive), longer duration of diabetes (≥5 years), and presence of complications (both microvascular and macrovascular) significantly increased the MDA level. CONCLUSION: To sum up, the serum MDA level was observed to be significantly high in diabetics with and without complication along with other parameters.