Equivalent lipid oxidation profiles in advanced atherosclerotic lesions of carotid endarterectomy plaques obtained from symptomatic type 2 diabetic and nondiabetic subjects

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) increases the risk for cardiovascular disease and is thought to be associated with increased oxidative stress, a contributor to atherogenesis. Surprisingly, however, there is little direct evidence that T2D-associated oxidative stress results in increased lipid oxidation and/or decreased antioxidant capacity in human atherosclerotic lesions. The aim of this study was to measure vascular lipid oxidation and antioxidants in T2D. The arterial content of oxidized lipid and antioxidants in carotid endarterectomy specimens obtained from diabetic and normoglycemic patients was determined using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), stable isotope dilution gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC/MS), and gas–liquid chromatography techniques. The concentrations of hydroxyoctadecanoic acid, F2-isoprostanes, and 7-ketocholesterol, as well as α-tocopherol, ascorbate, and urate were not different in the two patient groups, whether expressed per unit protein or as a ratio per parent compound. Unexpectedly, a significant decrease in the level of arterial lipid hydroperoxide was found in diabetic patients. Our results do not support the notion that advanced atherosclerotic lesions from T2D patients contain more oxidized lipids than corresponding lesions from nondiabetic subjects.