Malondialdehyde (MDA): an oxidative stress marker in type II Diabetes mellitus with and without complications.

Persistent hyperglycemia in diabetes mellitus leads to increased formation of free radicals through various mechanisms. These free radicals attack and damage lipids, proteins and nucleic acids resulting in various late diabetic complications. MDA is an end product of lipid peroxidation which has been used as a oxidative stress marker. The study was undertaken to determine the serum MDA in diabetics and relationship of lipid peroxidation with severity and duration of diabetes. Fasting blood glucose and MDA were evaluated in 100 healthy controls, 50 non-complicated type-II diabetics and 50 complicated diabetics with nephropathy. The levels of serum MDA were found to be increased significantly in diabetic nephropathy cases as compared to those in the cases with diabetics without complication and in the healthy controls (p<0.001). MDA levels were also found significantly higher in diabetics with increasing duration (p<0.001). Increase in serum MDA levels in type-II diabetics with complication and duration reflects the increasing free radical activity and subsequent oxidative stress.