Decreased polymorphonuclear leukocyte deformability in NIDDM.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the rheological properties of polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) from non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) patients.


METHODS
The deformability of PMN from 33 NIDDM subjects, 13 with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), and 22 with normal glucose tolerance (NGT) was studied. A Cell Transit Analyzer that measures the transit time of PMN through 8-microns pores was used. Studies were performed under three different conditions: 1) basal state; 2) after incubation with cytochalasin B (20 microM) to dissociate f-actin from the cytoskeleton; and 3) following activation with N-formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine (fMLP, 1 nM).


RESULTS
PMN from diabetic patients were more rigid (i.e., had longer transit time) than those from subjects with NGT or IGT under basal conditions and after cytochalasin B, but not after stimulation with fMLP. The deformability of PMN from subjects with IGT was similar to those of the NGT group. In the pooled data, basal transit time correlated with age; systolic and diastolic blood pressure; HbA1c; and serum creatinine, cholesterol, and triglyceride concentrations (r = 0.29, 0.34, 0.37, 0.48, 0.25, 0.36, 0.29, respectively, P < 0.05 for each). Hypertensive diabetic patients had less deformable PMN than normotensive ones. No relation was found between PMN deformability and the duration of diabetes, type of treatment, or the presence of retinopathy.


CONCLUSIONS
These data indicate increased rigidity of PMN in NIDDM that may contribute to development of microcirculatory disturbances and microangiopathy.
Pécsvarády
Z
Z
Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Southern California School of Medicine, Los Angeles 90033.
Fisher
T C
TC
Darwin
C H
CH
Fabók
A
A
Maqueda
T S
TS
Saad
M F
MF
Meiselman
H J
HJ
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D001794:Blood Pressure; D003571:Cytochalasin B / Q000494:pharmacology; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D018149:Glucose Intolerance / Q000097:blood*; D005951:Glucose Tolerance Test; D006630:Hispanic or Latino; D006801:Humans; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D008297:Male; D008800:Mexico / Q000208:ethnology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009240:N-Formylmethionine Leucyl-Phenylalanine / Q000494:pharmacology; D009504:Neutrophils / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D012016:Reference Values
D003571:Cytochalasin B; D009240:N-Formylmethionine Leucyl-Phenylalanine