White Blood Cells Telomere Length Is Shorter in Males With Type 2 Diabetes and Microalbuminuria

  1. Nicholas Tentolouris, MD1,
  2. Rosine Nzietchueng, PHD23,
  3. Valerie Cattan, MSC3,
  4. Gaël Poitevin, MSC3,
  5. Patrick Lacolley, MD3,
  6. Athanasia Papazafiropoulou, MD1,
  7. Despoina Perrea, MD4,
  8. Nicholas Katsilambros, MD1 and
  9. Athanase Benetos, MD23
  1. 1First Department of Propaedeutic Medicine, Athens University Medical School, Laiko Hospital, Athens, Greece
  2. 2Centre de Geriatrie, University of Nancy, CHU Nancy-Brabois, Nancy, France
  3. 3INSERM U684, Faculty of Medicine, University of Nancy, Nancy, France
  4. 4Laboratory for Experimental Surgery and Surgical Research, Athens University Medical School, Athens, Greece
  1. Address correspondence and reprint requests to Nicholas Tentolouris, MD, 33 Lakonias St., 115 23, Athens, Greece. E-mail: ntentol{at}med.uoa.gr

Abstract

OBJECTIVE—To examine differences in telomere (terminal restriction fragment [TRF]) length and pulse wave velocity (PWV)—an index of arterial stiffness—in patients with type 2 diabetes with and without microalbuminuria (MA).

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS—A total of 84 men with type 2 diabetes, 40 with MA and 44 without MA (aged 63.5 ± 9.0 vs. 61.2 ± 9.8 years), were studied. TRF length was determined in white blood cells. MA was defined as albumin excretion rate (AER) in the range of 30–300 mg/24 h in at least two of three 24-h urine collections. PWV was assessed using applanation tonometry. Markers of oxidative stress were also measured.

RESULTS—TRF length was shorter in patients with MA than in those without MA (6.64 ± 0.74 vs. 7.23 ± 1.01 kb, respectively, P = 0.004). PWV was significantly higher in the patients with MA. Multivariate linear regression analysis in the total sample demonstrated an independent association between TRF length and age (P = 0.02), MA status (P = 0.04) or AER (P = 0.002), and plasma nitrotyrosine levels (P = 0.02). AER was associated significantly with PWV (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONS—Subjects with type 2 diabetes and MA have shorter TRF length and increased arterial stiffness than those without MA. Additionally, TRF length is associated with age, AER, and nitrosative stress. As shorter TRF length indicates older biological age, the increased arterial stiffness in patients with type 2 diabetes who have MA may be due to the more pronounced “aging ” of these subjects.

Footnotes

  • Published ahead of print at http://care.diabetesjournals.org on 31 July 2007. DOI: 10.2337/dc07-0633.

    A table elsewhere in this issue shows conventional and Système International (SI) units and conversion factors for many substances.

    The costs of publication of this article were defrayed in part by the payment of page charges. This article must therefore be hereby marked “advertisement” in accordance with 18 U.S.C Section 1734 solely to indicate this fact.

    See accompanying Editorial on p. 2974.

    • Accepted July 23, 2007.
    • Received April 10, 2007.
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  1. doi: 10.2337/dc07-0633 Diabetes Care November 2007 vol. 30 no. 11 2909-2915
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