Serum spermidine oxidase activity in patients with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus and microvascular complications

Metabolism of polyamines (spermidine and spermine) is known to be strictly related to the growth processes of eukaryotic cells. Since cell replication processes appear altered in insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM), especially when associated with its microvascular complications, the aim of this study was measuring serum spermidine oxidase activity (SOA), a key enzyme in the metabolic pathway of polyamines, in 47 patients with IDDM as compared with 63 healthy control subjects matched for age and sex. Mean SOA levels +/- SD were significantly lower in IDDM patients (177.4 +/- 57.2 mu kat/l) than in controls (247.6 +/- 68.1 mu kat/l; p less than 0.001), being SOA inversely related with daily insulin dose. SOA was moreover significantly higher (but similar to controls) in the group with increased urinary albumin excretion rate (AER persistently greater than 20 micrograms/min); (n = 17; 213.1 +/- 62.6 mu kat/l) in comparison with normoalbuminuric subjects (n = 30; 156.6 +/- 43.5 mu kat/l; F = 21.78; p = 0.0001). SOA was correlated with AER (r = 0.45; p = 0.001), independently of age, duration of disease, serum creatinine, body weight, blood pressure and metabolic control, as shown by a multiple regression analysis model (p = 0.003). Presence of background retinopathy was not associated with modified levels of SOA, which was conversely higher, although not significantly, in the patients with proliferative retinal lesions. In conclusion serum SOA is deeply altered in IDDM patients, being markedly reduced in the whole group of patients and conversely independently increased up to the mean values of controls in presence of increased AER or advanced retinopathy.