Optimisation of an Advanced Oxidation Protein Products Assay: Its Application to Studies of Oxidative Stress in Diabetes Mellitus

Advanced oxidation protein products (AOPP) are reportedly elevated in the plasma of patients with a number of diseases, including diabetes mellitus, that involve oxidative stress. However, the accurate measurement of AOPP in human plasma is hampered by the formation of a precipitate following the addition of potassium iodide and glacial acetic acid according to the published assay procedure. Here we describe a modification of the AOPP assay which eliminates interference by precipitation and provides a robust, reliable, and reproducible protocol for the measurement of iodide oxidising capacity in plasma samples (intra-assay CV 1.7–5.3%, interassay CV 5.3–10.5%). The improved method revealed a significant association of AOPP levels with age (p < 0.05) and hypertension (p = 0.01) in EDTA-anticoagulated plasma samples from 52 patients with diabetes and 38 nondiabetic control subjects, suggesting a possible link between plasma oxidising capacity and endothelial and/or vascular dysfunction. There was no significant difference between AOPP concentrations in diabetic (74.8 ± 7.2 μM chloramine T equivalents) and nondiabetic (75.5 ± 7.0 μM chloramine T equivalents) individuals.