Diabetes care
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Erythrocytes (red blood cells [RBCs]) reduce extracellular ferricyanide by transmembrane transfer of reducing equivalents involving ascorbate recycling. ⋯ Transmembrane electron transfer is selectively increased in diabetic nephropathy, where RBC GSH is also depleted. The abnormality is peculiar to the nephropathy group and not contributed by familial or hereditary components because the electron flow was normal in siblings. The close relationship between cytosolic NADH and RBC electron transfer observed in diabetic patients without complications seems to be lost in the microangiopathic patients. Whereas patients with retinopathy alone still had normal activity of the RBC-reducing system, patients with nephropathy showed significantly increased activity, unrelated to metabolic parameters or plasma lactate concentration and correlated with renal function parameters and plasma thiols.