Detection of Serum Cholesterol Ester Fatty Acids in the Elderly with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

  Objective  To evaluate the alteration of cholesterol ester fatty acids and related serum biochemicalparameters in elderly patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM).

  Methods  Totally 73 T2DM patients(T2DM group) and 72 healthy subjects(control group) (aged ≥60 years) who received health check-ups in Beijing Hospital from August to December in 2012 were recruited and blood samples were collected. Eleven main cholesterol ester fatty acids in serum were determined with liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry, and endogenous conversions by desaturases and elongases were estimated from product-to-precursor ratios. Fasting plasma glucose(FPG), total cholesterol(TC), triglyceride(TG), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol(HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol(LDL-C), apolipoprotein(Apo) AI(ApoAI), ApoB, and high sensitivity C-reactive protein(hsCRP) were analyzed with an automatic biochemistry analyzer and the results were statistically analyzed.

  Results  CE14:0, CE16:1 and CE22:6 in T2DM group were significantly lower than those in the control group(P < 0.05), while no significant difference existed between other fatty acid compositions. Δ9-desaturase activity was lower in T2DM group compared with that in control group(P=0.001). After adjusting for age, gender, body mass index(BMI), TC, TG, and FPG, Logistic analysis showed the quartiles of CE22:6 and Δ9-desaturase activity were associated with risk of type 2 DM, and the odds ratios were 0.27(95%CI: 0.08-0.86, Wald: 4.93, P < 0.05)and 0.06(95%CI: 0.01-0.22, Wald:17.39, P < 0.01), respectively, for comparison of the top to bottom quartile. Both CE14:0 and CE20:3 negatively correlated with FPG(r=-0.18, -0.17, P < 0.05); CE18:0 positively correlated with BMI and TG(r= 0.25, 0.24, P < 0.01) and negatively correlated with HDL-C and ApoAI(r=-0.39, -0.35, P < 0.01); CE20:3 positively correlated with BMI, with a correlation coefficient of 0.42(P < 0.01).

  Conclusions  Several cholesterol ester fatty acids decrease in elderly T2DM patients. CE22:6 and Δ9-desaturase may protect against T2DM. An appropriately balanced intake of fatty acids is helpful for the prevention of T2DM in the elderly population.