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Administration of glutathione in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus increases the platelet constitutive nitric oxide synthase activity and reduces PAI-1

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Abstract

Several studies suggest that nitric oxide (NO) production is impaired in diabetes mellitus. Reduced levels of NO could contribute to cardiovascular mortality. Furthermore, NO synthesis is impaired in glutathione (GSH)-depleted human umbilical vein endothelial cells and GSH is reduced in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). We tested the hypothesis that treatment with GSH may improve platelet constitutive NO sinthase (cNOS) activity in patients with T2DM. Fifteen patients with T2DM underwent a treatment with GSH 600 mg/day im for 10 days. With respect to the basal values on the 10th day of treatment, the red blood cell GSH concentration and platelets cNOS increased (1.4±0.1 vs 1.9±0.1 μmol/1010 RBC, p<0.001 and 0.7±0.1 vs 2.9±0.2 fmol·min−1·10−9 PLTs, p<0.001, respectively) and the plasma PAI-1 levels diminished (81.4±3.7 vs 68.7±4.0 ng/ml, p<0.002). A negative correlation between the cNOS and the PAI-1 was found on the basal values. After a wash-out of 30 days the values of red blood cell GSH concentration, platelet cNOS activity and PAI-1 Ag returned to the basal levels. These data suggest that the administration of GSH, in patients with T2DM, is able to improve platelet cNOS activity together with a reduction of PAI-1.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, Corso A.M. Dogliotti 14, 10126, Torino, Italy

    V. Martina, E. Zumpano, C. Origlia & L. Quaranta

  2. Department of Genetic, Biology e Chemical Medicine, University of Torino, Italy

    G. A. Bruno & G. P. Pescarmona

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  1. V. Martina
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  2. G. A. Bruno
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  3. E. Zumpano
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  4. C. Origlia
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  6. G. P. Pescarmona
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Correspondence to V. Martina.

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Martina, V., Bruno, G.A., Zumpano, E. et al. Administration of glutathione in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus increases the platelet constitutive nitric oxide synthase activity and reduces PAI-1. J Endocrinol Invest 24, 37–41 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03343806

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