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Association of fatty acid profile in plasma lipid fractions with HbA1c in type 2 diabetic patients

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Abstract

The aim of this pilot study has been the comparison of fatty acid profiles of diabetic and healthy subjects in order to evaluate the relationship between fatty acid profiles in plasma lipid fractions and glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) in type 2 diabetes (T2D) patients. The fatty acid composition of fasting plasma lipid subfractions has been analyzed in patients (n = 26) diagnosed with T2D and in corresponding control group (n = 26) of healthy voluntary blood donors. Five subfractions containing phospholipids (PLs), diglycerides (DGs), free fatty acids (FFAs), triglycerides (TGs), and cholesterol esters (CEs) were isolated from plasma samples and separated by thin-layer chromatography. Fatty acid composition of these subfractions was analyzed by GC/FID. Significant changes in fatty acid profiles were found in all lipid fractions from T2D patients in comparison with the control group. HbA1c correlated negatively with delta 9 desaturation (9D) index. Significantly positive correlation of palmitic acid levels and negative correlation of oleic acid levels with HbA1c concentration were found in PL and TG fractions with higher significance in TGs. This pilot study has shown possible associations of HbA1c, common parameter measured in routine laboratories, with lipid metabolism. The strongest correlation was found in plasma TGs, especially in case of palmitic and oleic acids. This is the first report showing that metabolic control assessed by HbA1c is negatively associated with delta 9D index.

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Abbreviations

AA:

Arachidonic acid

ANOVA:

Analysis of variance

CE:

Cholesterol ester

DG:

Diglycerides

DHA:

Docosahexaenoic acid (22:6n-3)

EDTA:

Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid

EPA:

Eicosapentaenoic acid (20:5n-3)

FA:

Fatty acids

FFA:

Free fatty acid

GC:

Gas chromatography

LA:

Linoleic acid

MUFA:

Monounsaturated fatty acid

PG:

Prostaglandin

PL:

Phospholipid

PUFA:

Polyunsaturated fatty acid

SFA:

Saturated fatty acid

TG:

Triglyceride

TLC:

Thin-layer chromatography

T2D:

Type 2 diabetes mellitus

5D:

5 desaturation

6D:

6 desaturation

9D:

9 desaturation

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Acknowledgments

We gratefully acknowledge grant no. SGFChT 07/2013 of the University of Pardubice for financial support to this work. We would like also to acknowledge Prof Dr Erwin Schleicher, Ph.D. from University Hospital Tübingen for providing samples and consulting results.

Conflict of interest

None.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Chemical Technology, Department of Biological and Biochemical Sciences, University of Pardubice, Pardubice, Czech Republic

    Tomáš Čermák, Petr Laštovička, Vladimíra Mužáková, Martina Líbalová, Lucie Koukalová, Roman Kanďár & Alexander Čegan

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  1. Tomáš Čermák
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  2. Petr Laštovička
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Correspondence to Petr Laštovička.

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Čermák, T., Laštovička, P., Mužáková, V. et al. Association of fatty acid profile in plasma lipid fractions with HbA1c in type 2 diabetic patients. Int J Diabetes Dev Ctries 36, 23–33 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13410-015-0399-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13410-015-0399-8

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