Cutaneous carbonyl stress markers associated with nerve damage in recent-onset type 2 diabetes: Study

A new study showed that in recent-onset type 2 diabetes, cutaneous carbonyl stress biomarker could indicate nerve damage. The key findings of this study were published in the journal of Diabetes Care. In individuals with recent-onset, metabolically well-controlled type 2 diabetes (T2D), increased cutaneous carbonyl stress is associated with slower nerve conduction and can predict the emergence of neuropathic impairments over a 5-year period.

Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) are produced as a result of endogenous carbonyl stress. Diabetic sensorimotor polyneuropathy (DSPN) may be prevented or treated by targeting AGEs. Gidon Bönhof and colleagues used new cutaneous biomarkers to describe endothelial cell damage, oxidative stress, immune cells, and cutaneous carbonyl stress in early type 2 diabetes in comparison to normal glucose tolerance (NGT) in this study.

This research looked at new cutaneous indicators for the start and progression of DSPN in 144 people with normal glucose tolerance and 160 people with recent-onset T2D (those diagnosed within 12 months or less), who were all recruited sequentially from the baseline cohort of the German Diabetes Study.

Clinical neuropathy ratings, quantitative sensory tests, and nerve conduction investigations were used to evaluate peripheral nerve function. Intraepidermal nerve fiber density, endothelial integrity, cutaneous oxidative stress markers, and cutaneous carbonyl stress markers, such as AGE autofluorescence and argpyrimidine area, were all examined using skin samples. An AGE reader device was used to assess skin autofluorescence noninvasively. After 5 years, a subgroup of 80 T2D patients had another evaluation to gauge the advancement of their neurophysiological impairments.

When compared to people with normal glucose tolerance, the patients with recent-onset T2D showed decreased nerve fiber density, higher AGE autofluorescence, and an argpyrimidine region. AGE autofluorescence was positively correlated with AGE reader measurements and negatively correlated with nerve conduction in T2D patients (P =.0002, P =.002, and P =.001 for median motor, peroneal motor, and sural sensory nerve conduction velocity, respectively).

Also, no such correlations were seen in patients with normal glucose tolerance. The changes in nerve function indices over a 5-year period were shown to be associated with baseline cutaneous indicators for endothelial cells and AGEs in the prospective T2D cohort. Overall, the findings suggests that carbonyl stress plays a part in the onset and course of diabetic sensorimotor polyneuropathy and might be a target for treatment.

Reference:

Bönhof, G. J., Strom, A., Jung, T., Bódis, K. B., Szendroedi, J., Wagner, R., Grune, T., Roden, M., & Ziegler, D. (2024). Cutaneous Carbonyl Stress Is Associated With Nerve Dysfunction in Recent-Onset Type 2 Diabetes. In Diabetes Care. American Diabetes Association. https://doi.org/10.2337/dc24-1799