Erythrocyte membrane fluidity in diabetics: fluorescence measurement and rheological analysis

Abstract

Erythrocyte membrane fluidity in 12 diabetic patients (4 well controlled insulin-dependent diabetics, 4 insulin-dependent diabetics deprived of insulin for 16 to 24 hand 4 non-insulin-dependent diabetics) was studied by fluorescence polarization using 1.6 diphenyl 1,3,5 hexatriene as fluorescence probe. The following haemorheological parameters were measured in these patients : whole blood filtration, Hanss hemorheometer. There are discrepancies in the literature on the results from polarization studies in diabetics patients, and we were interested to find out wether these differences might depend on the type or the stability of diabetes. Our results indicate that, despite alteration in filterability found in some diabetics, membrane fluorescence, polarization values did not differ between healthy controls and diabetics of whatever type.