Premium
Red Cell Sorbitol Levels During Hyper and Hypoglycaemic Clamp Studies in Insulin‐dependent Diabetic Patients
Author(s) -
Price D. E.,
Grant P. J.,
Airey C. M.,
Stickland M. H.,
Kemp J.,
Wales J. K.
Publication year - 1987
Publication title -
diabetic medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.474
H-Index - 145
eISSN - 1464-5491
pISSN - 0742-3071
DOI - 10.1111/j.1464-5491.1987.tb00868.x
Subject(s) - sorbitol , medicine , endocrinology , red cell , diabetes mellitus , red blood cell , insulin , polyol , polyol pathway , glucose clamp technique , pancreatic hormone , biochemistry , insulin resistance , aldose reductase , biology , chemistry , organic chemistry , polyurethane
The red cell sorbitol concentration has been suggested as a measure of polyol pathway activity. Red cell sorbitol levels were higher in 53 patients having insulin‐dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) than in 16 control subjects. Six patients having IDDM underwent hyperglycaemic ‘clamp’ studies; the red cell sorbitol level returned to the normal range when the blood glucose was clamped at 5 mmol/l for 1 h and rapidly increased when it was clamped at 15 and 25 mmol/l for a further hour at each level. Seven patients with IDDM were rendered hypoglycaemic; red cell sorbitol levels rapidly fell to a level less than, but not significantly different from normal. The results of these studies suggest that in IDDM red cell sorbitol levels are a reflection of prevailing blood glucose concentration and do not indicate long‐term sorbitol accumulation in other tissues.