ERYTHROCYTE MEMBRANE PROTEIN ALTERATION IN DIABETICS

E. 0. ADEWOYE, K. S. AKINLADE, O.O OLORUNSOGO

Abstract


Objectives: To study the protein components of the erythrocyte membranes of diabetic
Nigerians and to compare the results with the erythrocyte membrane protein components
of normal healthy Nigerians.
Design: Laboratory based cross-sectional study.
Setting: Department of Medicine, University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan and
Biomembrane Research Laboratory, Department of Biochemistry, College of Medicine,
University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria.
Subjects and methods: The study was carried out in patients with insulin-dependent diabetes
mellitus - IDDM (Type 1 diabetes). non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus - NIDDM (Type
2diabetes) and healthy human volunteers (HHm), which served as controls. The subjects were
aged 30-65 years. There were 12 subjects in each of the IDDM and NIDDM) and 18 subjiects
in the HHm group. Blood samples (20 ml per subject) were obtained from each subject and
erythrocyte ghmt membranes were isolated separately from each sample. Total erythrocyte
membrane protein concentration of each sample was determined using bovine serum albumin
(BSA) as standard. The protein components of the erythrocyte ghost membranes were
determined using sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis.
Statzkticalmethod: All values given are the meanhtandard deviation (BD) of the parameters
measured. Significance was assessed using Student's t-test and P values of 0.05 or less vvere
taken as statistically significant.
Results: The total protein concentration of HHm was 5.5B.01 Wml, total protein
concentration of IDDM was 4.5B.01 Wml while NIDDM was 5.1B.02 Mml. The spectrin
alphaand beta-chain bandsare heavily present in the healthy human erythrocyte membranes
andareabsent in the insulindependent diabetic membranes. Theankyrin band, bandsix and
below are more pronounced in IDDM and NIDDM but are relatively absent in the healthy
humans.
Conclusions: The results obtained provide evidence of profound quantitative and qualitative
alteration of the erythrocyte membrane proteins in diabetic Nigerians. This may likely have
serious functional implications on the diabetic patients.

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