Endocrine Abstracts

Prevalence of diabetes mellitus in the world is constantly increasing and today the type 2 diabetes pandemic is the point of issue. The type 2 diabetes incidence in exposed individuals i.e. the participants of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant accident consequences clean-up works (ChNPP ACUW) in Ukraine in the post-accident years was about 15-21%, which was significantly higher (p<0.0001) than in the non-irradiated persons (3-9%). The adipose tissue is actively involved in regulation of the energy metabolism being the endocrine and paracrine organ producing a wide spectrum of adipocytokines. Adiponectin is the main adipotocytokine with cardioprotective effect but its role in the development of type 2 diabetes has not been studied in subjects exposed to ionizing radiation. The 66 male diabetic patients who were exposed to ionizing radiation after the Chernobyl catastrophe, 45 irradiated subjects having no diabetes, and a control group of 20 healthy persons were examined. Concentrations of the total adiponectin were significantly lower (p<0.05) in blood serum of irradiated persons, namely in the ChNPP ACUW of the iodine period (first months upon the accident in 1986) who had the established diagnosis of type 2 diabetes being of a normal body weight, overweight or obese compared to the concentrations in the almost healthy subjects and the clean-up workers with normal glycemic control. Concentration of the total adiponectin decreased with increasing body weight, and there was a correlation of average strength between the concentration and obesity (t=-0.367, p < 0.05). With deterioration of glycemic control the concentration of total adiponectin decreased. With increase in disease duration from 5 to 20 years there is a slow decrease in total adiponectin concentration in blood serum in the ChNPP ACUW and in the control group. However, in disease duration over the 20 years there is an increase in the total adiponectin level. There were no significant differences in total adiponectin concentration with increasing the external exposure doses in the range of 10.0-860.0 mSv.

Conclusion: In men exposed at a young age due to the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant accident, which were the clean-up workers suffering diabetes mellitus a marked decrease in adiponectin concentration was observed in comparison with the same workers having no diabetes and with non-irradiated subjects. The adiponectin level depended on disorders of carbohydrate metabolism, body weight increase, and prolonged course of diabetes mellitus.