Aims/hypothesis  

We determined whether oxidative damage in collagen is increased in (1) patients with diabetes; (2) patients with diabetic complications; and (3) subjects from the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial (DCCT)/Epidemiology of Diabetes Interventions and Complications (EDIC) study, with comparison of subjects from the former standard vs intensive treatment groups 4 years after DCCT completion.

Subjects, materials and methods  

We quantified the early glycation product fructose-lysine, the two AGEs N ^ε-(carboxymethyl)lysine (CML) and pentosidine, and the oxidised amino acid methionine sulphoxide (MetSO) in skin collagen from 96 patients with type 1 diabetes (taken from three groups: DCCT/EDIC patients and clinic patients from South Carolina and Scotland) and from 78 healthy subjects.

Results  

Fructose-lysine was increased in diabetic patients (p<0.0001), both with or without complications (p<0.0001). Controlling for HbA_1c, rates of accumulation of AGEs were higher in diabetic patients than control subjects, regardless of whether the former had complications (CML and pentosidine given as log_e[pentosidine]) or not (CML only) (all p<0.0001). MetSO (log_e[MetSO]) also accumulated more rapidly in diabetic patients with complications than in controls (p<0.0001), but rates were similar in patients without complications and controls. For all three products, rates of accumulation with age were significantly higher in diabetic patients with complications than in those without (all p<0.0001). At 4 years after the end of the DCCT, no differences were found between the previous DCCT management groups for fructose-lysine, AGEs or MetSO.

Conclusions/interpretation  

The findings suggest that in type 1 diabetic patients enhanced oxidative damage to collagen is associated with the presence of vascular complications.