Evaluation of Serum Uric Acid and Glutathione Levels in Diabetic Patients and Healthy Subjects

Objective: It is well known that diabetes is one of the main health challenges. According to the evidence presented in recent years by investigators, serum uric acid has emerged as a possible risk factor for diabetes mellitus. The aim of the present study was to compare the mean serum uric acid and the antioxidant activity of glutathione levels in patients with diabetes and the control group. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study carried out on 30 diabetic patients (51.3 ±13.8 years, 15 males and 15 females) as well as 30 non-diabetic controls (54.2 ±13.4 years, 15 males and 15 females). The uric acid and glutathione levels were measured by Uricase-PAP method and glutathione the butler (DTNB) methods, respectively. Analysis was performed using SPSS version 20. Statistical significance was defined as P<0.05. Results: Mean serum uric acid levels in diabetic patients (2.87±0.63 mg/dl) was lower than the control group (3.76±0.7 mg/dl). Also, mean total glutathione in diabetic group (181.64±38.7 μmol/l) was lower than the control group (273.6±39.28μmol/l). Differences in uric acid and glutathione levels between the two groups were significant (P<0.05). Conclusion: This study indicated that serum uric acid and glutathione levels changed in diabetic patients compared to healthy control subjects. It may be related to the biochemical interaction between serum glucose and purine metabolism, with increased excretion of uric acid during hyperglycemia and glycosuria. The present study revealed that evaluation of the levels of biochemical factors in diabetic patients at different stages of the disease, can be helpful in their condition.