Plasma leucine : enkephalin level in diabetic patients with and without neuropathy

Abstract EN

The presence of opoid peptides within pancreatic islets in humans suggests that these peptides could play a role in pancreatic endocrine function.

Also these peptides are widely distributed within central and peripheral systems and sympathetic neurones.

The aim of this work is to study the plasma level of leucine-enkephalin in diabetic patients to find out whethere there is a relationship between diabetes mellitus, diabetic neuropathy and leucine enkephalin plasma level.

The study was conducted on thirty diabetic patients (both type 1 and and type 2) and ten healthy volunteers.

Twenty of the diabetic patients had neuropathy either symptomatic or asymptomatic and ten were non neuropathic.

The study revealed that plasma leucine-enkephalin level was significantly higher in diabetic patients, (mean value ± SD 60.43 ± 7.33pg / ml), compared with controls, (mean value ± SD 27.2 ± 8.73 pg/ml), (P < 0.001).

Within the diabetic group, plasma leucine-enkephalin level was significantly lower in neuropathic, (mean value ± SD 54.75 + 17.2 pg/ml) compared with non neuropathic patients, (mean value ± SD 71.8 ± 11.2 pg / ml) (P < 0.01).

Within the neuropathic group, significantly high plasma level of leucine enkephalin was found in symptomatic, (mean value ±SD 63.2 + 17.6 pg / ml) than asymtomatic neuropathic patients, (Mean value ±SD 46.3 ± 12.49) (P < 0.05).

Plasma leucine-enkephalin level was significantly correlated with duration of diabetes (P < 0.05), fasting and post-prandial blood glucose.

(P < 0.001, P < 0.001 respectively) and glycosylated haemoglobin (P < 0.01).