Radiation-modified albumin in type 2 diabetic patients

Objectives: Diabetes mellitus has been one of the most crippling diseases that man has seen, and its prevalence has risen dramatically over the past two decades. Currently, there are over 150 million diabetics worldwide and this number is likely to increase to 300 million or more by the year 2025. Diabetes mellitus increases the risk of many disorders including cardiovascular diseases. Understanding the molecular properties of diabetic progression is a big challenge in the system biology era. The aim of this study is to determine association in albumin modifications between Chernobyl clean-up workers with and without type 2 diabetes mellitus. Methods: ABM (3-aminobenzanthrone derivative developed in Daugavpils University, Latvia) has been previously shown as a potential biomarker for determination of the immune state of patients with different pathologies. In this study several aspects of plasma albumin alterations in the group of Chernobyl clean-up workers with diabetes mellitus in relation to the group of workers without diabetes mellitus and people having no professional contact with radioactivity were determined. The following parameters were examined: (1) spectral characteristics of ABM in blood plasma; (2) effective and total albumin concentration in blood plasma; and (3) quantitative parameters of albumin auto-fluorescence. Results: Screening of individuals with diabetes mellitus 25-26 years after their work in Chernobyl revealed two groups of patients differing in structural and functional properties of membrane. The revealed structural modifications of membrane are dependent on radiation-induced factors. Concomitant diseases (diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular diseases) reinforce radiation-induced effects. Conclusion: ABM is a sensitive probe of albumin alterations; it can be used to elucidate the changes in protein systems. Significant differences in albumin dynamics exist between the control group (donors) and that of diabetics and non-diabetics in the Chernobyl clean-up workers. [J Exp Integr Med 2013; 3(1): 3-7]