title: Uncomplicated type 1 diabetes is associated with increased asymmetric dimethylarginine concentrations.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) has recently emerged as an independent risk marker for cardiovascular disease, but studies investigating the ADMA levels in type 1 diabetes mellitus (DM) are scarce.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  We aimed to evaluate plasma ADMA, L-arginine concentrations, and L-arginine to ADMA ratio in uncomplicated type 1 diabetic patients and controls.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty patients with type 1 DM who did not have clinical evidence of vascular complications and 35 healthy controls were included in the study.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Plasma ADMA concentrations were higher (2.6 +/- 1.9 vs. 1.7 +/- 0.7 micromol/liter, P < 0.01), and L-arginine levels were lower (79.3 +/- 22.6 vs. 89.6 +/- 19.4 micromol/liter, P < 0.05) in the diabetic group, compared with controls. The L-arginine to ADMA ratio was also lower in the diabetic group (38.7 +/- 17.1 vs. 62.0 +/- 27.9, P < 0.0001). In diabetic patients, logADMA correlated positively with body mass index (BMI) (P = 0.01), fasting blood glucose (P = 0.006), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c) (P = 0.01) and negatively with high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (P = 0.03). L-arginine to ADMA ratio correlated negatively with BMI (P = 0.004), fasting blood glucose (P = 0.02), and LDL-c (P = 0.01) and positively with high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (P = 0.04). In controls, logADMA and L-arginine to ADMA ratio correlated with BMI and LDL-c (P < 0.05). In regression analysis, BMI predicted 15% variance of ADMA levels (P = 0.02).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We demonstrated that ADMA increases and L-arginine to ADMA ratio decreases, even before the development of vascular complications in type 1 DM.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Gazi University Faculty of Medicine, Ahmet Rasim Sok. 41/6, 06550 Cankaya, Ankara, Turkey. alevaltinova@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Alev E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Altinova
authors.forename: Metin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Arslan
authors.forename: Aylin
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sepici-Dincel
authors.forename: Mujde
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Akturk
authors.forename: Nilgun
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Altan
authors.forename: Fusun B
authors.initials: FB
authors.lastname: Toruner
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001120:Arginine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000097:blood; D015415:Biomarkers; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D015992:Body Mass Index; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL / Q000097:blood; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000097:blood* / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012043:Regression, Psychology
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D001786:Blood Glucose; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL; C487735:dimethylarginine; D001120:Arginine