Dynamics of lymphocyte membrane in Chernobyl clean-up workers with type 2 diabetes mellitus

Objective: Diabetes mellitus is 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 the 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 systems-biology era. Methods: The 3-aminobenzanthrone derivative ABM, developed at the Daugavpils University, Latvia, has been previously shown as a potential biomarker for determination of the immune state of patients with different pathologies. The aim of this study was to determine the several aspects of membrane alterations in the group of Chernobyl clean-up workers with diabetes mellitus in relation with its common group without diabetes mellitus and humans having no professional contact with radioactivity. The following parameters were examined: (1) the spectral characteristics of ABM in cell suspension (e.g. anisotropy index); (2) quantitative parameters of protein/lipid interaction in liposomes prepared from phosphatidylcholine and its mixtures with cardiolipin and cholesterol. Results: Screening of the individuals with diabetes mellitus 25-26 years after the work in Chernobyl revealed two groups of patients differing in structural and functional membrane properties, first of all on the lipid/protein interrelations and conformations of membrane proteins. The revealed structural modifications of membranes are dependent on radiation-induced factors. Concomitant diseases (diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular diseases) reinforce radiation induced effects. Conclusion: ABM is a sensitive probe of membrane architecture alterations, and can be used to elucidate the changes in membrane systems. Significant differences in membrane dynamics exist between control (donors), and diabetics and non-diabetics groups of Chernobyl clean-up workers [J Exp Integr Med 2012; 2(4): 357-363]