Telomere Shortening in Three Diabetes Mellitus Types in a Mexican Sample

• Published in: Biomedicines 2023-02, Vol.11 (3), p.730
• Main Authors: Cuevas Diaz, Pavel, Nicolini, Humberto, Nolasco-Rosales, German Alberto, Juarez Rojop, Isela, Tovilla-Zarate, Carlos Alfonso, Rodriguez Sanchez, Ester, Genis-Mendoza, Alma Delia
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Autoimmune diseases; Chromosomes; Comorbidity; Diabetes; Diabetes mellitus (non-insulin dependent); Disease; DNA damage; Health aspects; Hospitals; Hyperglycemia; Insulin; Insulin resistance; Laboratories; Metabolism; Metformin; Mexicans; Oxidative stress; Patients; Statistical analysis; Telomerase; telomere length; telomere shortening; Telomeres
• ISSN: 2227-9059; 2227-9059
• DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines11030730

This study aimed to explore the role of telomere length in three different diabetes types: latent autoimmune diabetes of adulthood (LADA), latent autoimmune diabetes in the young (LADY), and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). A total of 115 patients were included, 72 (62.61%) had LADA, 30 (26.09%) had T2DM, and 13 (11.30%) had LADY. Telomere length was measured using real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction. For statistical analysis, we used the ANOVA test, X2 test, and the Mann-Whitney U test. Patients with T2DM had higher BMI compared to LADA and LADY groups, with a BMI average of 31.32 kg/m ( = 0.0235). While the LADA group had more patients with comorbidities, there was not a statistically significant difference ( = 0.3164, = 0.3315, = 0.3742 for each of the previously mentioned conditions). There was a difference between those patients with T2DM who took metformin plus any other oral antidiabetic agent and those who took metformin plus insulin, the ones who had longer telomeres. LADA patients had shorter telomeres compared to T2DM patients but not LADY patients. Furthermore, T2DM may have longer telomeres thanks to the protective effects of both metformin and insulin, despite the higher BMI in this group.