Horm Metab Res 2011; 43(11): 748-753
DOI: 10.1055/s-0031-1286305
Original Basic
© Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York

Oxidative Stress Present in the Blood from Obese Patients Modifies the Structure and Function of Insulin

I. M. Olivares-Corichi
1   Postgraduate Studies and Research Section, School of Medicine National Polytechnique Institute, Mexico Distrito Federal, Mexico
,
M. J. Rincon Viquez
1   Postgraduate Studies and Research Section, School of Medicine National Polytechnique Institute, Mexico Distrito Federal, Mexico
,
L. Gutierrez-Lopez
1   Postgraduate Studies and Research Section, School of Medicine National Polytechnique Institute, Mexico Distrito Federal, Mexico
,
G. M. Ceballos-Reyes
1   Postgraduate Studies and Research Section, School of Medicine National Polytechnique Institute, Mexico Distrito Federal, Mexico
,
J. R. Garcia-Sanchez
1   Postgraduate Studies and Research Section, School of Medicine National Polytechnique Institute, Mexico Distrito Federal, Mexico
› Author Affiliations
Further Information

Publication History

received 05 April 2011

accepted 12 July 2011

Publication Date:
18 October 2011 (online)

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Abstract

Obesity and its associated disorders constitute a growing epidemic across the world. Numerous studies have demonstrated the presence of systemic oxidative stress in patients with obesity. In this study, we show the effects of oxidative stress present in the blood from obese patients on recombinant human insulin. Insulin was incubated with whole blood (WB) from overweight subjects (OW), obese 1 patients (O1), or normal weight volunteers (NW) (n=16 for each group). Whole blood from OW and O1, unlike WB from NW, increased the carbonyl content of insulin; however, only whole blood from O1 patients increased the amount of formazan present in the hormone. Interestingly, the incubation of insulin with WB from O1 provoked a decrease in the hypoglycemic activity of the hormone (18%), an effect due to insulin polymerization. In addition, we showed that the formation of the insulin polymer generated the formation of new epitopes and the development of a new immunogenicity. These observations show that oxidative stress present in the WB of O1 patients can result in abolition of the biological activity of insulin and contribute to the development of an immune response to the hormone.