Serum 8-hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine (8-oxo-dG) levels are elevated in diabetes patients

The increased oxidative stress in diabetes is known to contribute to the development of diabetes. We investigate whether serum 8-hydro-2′-deoxyguanosine (8-oxo-dG) is associated with diabetes at the time of first diagnosis and evaluate whether it can be used as a reliable biomarker for the oxidative stress in diabetes. The study was designed as a case control study with two groups: patient with diabetes and control. The diabetes group consisted of a total of 28 patients consulting the hospital for the first time and definitely diagnosed for diabetes, and the control group was composed of 65 healthy subjects. Serum 8-oxo-dG was measured by a competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit, specially developed to minimize cross-reaction of 8-oxo-dG antibody with serum guanosine. The average serum 8-oxo-dG levels in patients with diabetes and controls were 0.72 ± 0.41 and 0.24 ± 0.14 ng/mL, respectively, statistically significant (p < 0.001). The 8-oxo-dG value was significantly higher in women with diabetes, compared with men with diabetes (p = 0.028). The sensitivity and the specificity of the 8-oxo-dG ELISA assay were 0.80 and 0.96, respectively, and the ROC value was 0.93. This study suggests that increased oxidative stress has an important role in the pathogenesis of diabetes. Serum 8-oxo-dG may be a useful clinical biomarker for the early diagnosis of stress-related diseases, e.g. diabetes and its management.