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Peripheral blood mitochondrial DNA content is related to insulin sensitivity in offspring of type 2 diabetic patients

J Song1, J Y Oh, Y A Sung

  • 1Department of Biomedical Sciences, Korean National Institute Health, Seoul.

Diabetes Care
|May 12, 2001
PubMed

Insights

Peripheral blood mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) content was lower in offspring of type 2 diabetic patients and correlated with insulin sensitivity, suggesting it may be a hereditary factor for type 2 diabetes.

Area of Science:

  • Genetics
  • Metabolic Diseases
  • Molecular Biology

Background:

  • Type 2 diabetes (T2D) has a significant hereditary component.
  • Insulin resistance is a key factor in the development of T2D.
  • Mitochondrial dysfunction is implicated in metabolic disorders.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate if peripheral blood mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) content is reduced in offspring of T2D patients.
  • To determine the association between pb-mtDNA content and insulin resistance in this cohort.

Main Methods:

  • Stratified, randomized sampling of 82 offspring of T2D patients and 52 controls from Korea.
  • Measurement of pb-mtDNA content using real-time polymerase chain reaction.
  • Correlation analysis between pb-mtDNA levels and insulin sensitivity parameters.

Main Results:

  • pb-mtDNA content showed a trend towards lower levels in T2D offspring (P=0.051).
  • Significantly lower pb-mtDNA was observed in offspring with normal or impaired glucose tolerance (P<0.05).
  • In offspring with normal/impaired glucose tolerance, pb-mtDNA content correlated with insulin sensitivity (r=0.253, P<0.05) and predicted it.

Conclusions:

  • Quantitative mtDNA status may be a hereditary factor linked to T2D.
  • pb-mtDNA levels could serve as a potential indicator for insulin sensitivity.
Abstract

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