Endocrine Abstracts

Background and aims: The present study has examined the effect of α-lipoic acid (ALA) and nicotinamide (NA) on the heart rate variability (HRV), superoxide dismutase (SOD), gluthation peroxidase (GPO), catalase activities, reduced gluthatione (GSH), malondialdegide (MDA) contents in the RBCs’ in Type 2 diabetic patients (T2DM) with cardiovascular autonomic neuropathy (CAN).

Materials and methods: 59 patients with T2DM and CAN (59.3±7.9 years) were allocated to three treatment group: (1) daily per os dose of ALA 600 mg (n=29); (2) NA 700 mg (n=18); (3) ALA 600 mg and NA 700 mg (n=12) during 2 months.

Statistics: ANOVA.

Results: The progress of CAN is accompanied by decrease of the activities of SOD (7.38±0.29, P<0.001), GPO and catalase (P<0001), the content of GSH and increase of the MDA (P<0.001) in RBC’s. After 2 months of a treatment course with ALA it the increasing spectral power in the low- and high frequency (P<0.01), coefficient of variation (P<0.05). Simultaneously, activity of SOD, GPO (P<0.001) and GSH concentration were authentically augmented, and the contents of MDA, QTc interval parameters (0.52±0.057, P<0.05) was reduced (P<0.01). Simultaneously introduction of NA and ALA is conducted with more significant increasing SOD - 9.14±1.25 IU/ml Rbc’s, P<0.001; GPO - 298.14±19.45 mcmol GSH/min Hb, P<0.001) and GSH concentration (1.97±0.04 mcM/g Hb, P<0.001), TRAC (P<0.001), HRV, decreasing of MDA concentration (P<0.001) and QTc interval parameters.

Conclusion: Usage of ALA and NA is accompanied by improvement of HRV, QTc interval, antioxidant defence parameters and may be used for the treatment of CAN.