<p>This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.</p> <p>It is widely believed that oxidative stress plays an important
role in the pathogenesis of type II diabetes. The present
study was undertaken to examine the functioning of two antioxidant
scavenger enzymes, superoxide dismutase (SOD)
and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), in erythrocytes in a
population of healthy aging adult women compared with
a similar population with type II diabetes. Blood samples
were examined from 42 female adult healthy subjects at
different ages and from 59 female patients with type II diabetes.
A significant increase in SOD activities was correlated
with aging in erythrocytes of the healthy control subjects
(<italic>r</italic> = .550, <italic>P</italic> = .001); however, this correlation was
not found in subjects with type II diabetes (<italic>r</italic> = .250, <italic>P</italic> &lt;
.07). A trend showing a reduction in glutathione peroxidase
activities was demonstrated with aging (<italic>r</italic> = −.331, <italic>P</italic> =
.228); however, this trend was not found in diabetic subjects
(<italic>r</italic> = .031, <italic>P</italic> &lt; .820). The results indicate a possible
imbalance in the antioxidant system in erythrocytes of aging adult women, which is even more pronounced in cases
of type II diabetes. This study may indicate possible therapeutic
treatment or preventive measures to limit oxidative
damage and reduce complications of diabetes.</p>
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Exp Diabesity Res. 2004; 5(2):171-175