Plasma membrane fluidity and polarity of polymorphonuclear leukocytes from children with type I diabetes mellitus

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A Kantar1, G P Littarru, G Falcioni

  • 1Departments of Pediatrics, University of Ancona, Ancona, Italy.

Journal of Diabetes and Its Complications
|April 15, 2000
PubMed

Insights

Children with type 1 diabetes show altered polymorphonuclear leukocyte (PMN) plasma membranes. This study reveals decreased membrane fluidity and polarity in diabetic PMN, potentially explaining their functional abnormalities.

Area of Science:

  • Biochemistry
  • Cell Biology
  • Immunology

Background:

  • Polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) from diabetic individuals exhibit functional abnormalities.
  • These cellular dysfunctions are linked to alterations in the plasma membrane.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate plasma membrane fluidity and polarity in children with type 1 diabetes mellitus.
  • To understand the physico-chemical basis of PMN functional deficits in pediatric diabetes.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized fluorescence spectroscopy to assess PMN plasma membrane properties.
  • Employed probes 1-[4-trimethylammonium-phenyl]-6-phenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene (TMA-DPH) for fluidity and 2-dimethylamino[6-lauroyl]-naphthalene (Laurdan) for polarity.
  • Analyzed steady-state fluorescence anisotropy, fluorescence decay, and spectral shifts.

Main Results:

  • Diabetic PMN exhibited significantly increased steady-state fluorescence anisotropy, indicating reduced membrane fluidity.
  • Decreased TMA-DPH lifetime distribution suggested reduced membrane heterogeneity.
  • Laurdan spectral shifts indicated decreased membrane polarity and phospholipid order at the membrane surface.

Conclusions:

  • Type 1 diabetes in children is associated with decreased PMN plasma membrane fluidity and polarity.
  • These alterations in membrane properties may underlie the observed functional impairments in diabetic PMN.
  • Metabolic and chemical changes in diabetes could be responsible for these PMN membrane modifications.

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