Serum markers of oxidative stress and severity of diabetic retinopathy

Serum markers of oxidative stress and severity of diabetic retinopathy. M E Hartnett , R D Stratton , R W Browne , B A Rosner , R J Lanham and D Armstrong Harvard Medical School, Schepens Eye Research Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. hartnett@vision.eri.harvard.edu Abstract OBJECTIVE: To compare serum markers of oxidative stress with diabetic retinopathy severity RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: This cross-sectional study compared patients with types 1 and 2 diabetes with control subjects in western New York and Pennsylvania. Retinopathy severity was graded from funduscopic fields based on the Early Treatment of Diabetic Retinopathy Study. Serum samples were analyzed for thiobarbituric acid-reacting substances (TBARS), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activities, creatinine, HbA1, and triglycerides. Appropriate analysis of covariance models were performed. RESULTS: TBARS (P = 0.019), triglyceride (P = 0.004), and glucose and HbA1 (both P