Study on the mechanism involving homocysteine-triggered vascular endothelial injury in diabetes

Background: The study was conducted to investigate the primary mechanism via which plasma homocysteine (HCY) causes vascular endothelial injury (VEI) in patients with diabetes. Methods: 286 patients with diabetes were assigned to two groups based on whether B ultrasound indicated plaque in the carotid artery. The parameters including blood HCY, and interleukin-8 (IL-8) were determined. The statistical differences in blood HCY, and IL-8 were determined by comparing the patients with carotid plaque to those without. Whether blood HCY was correlated with IL-8, and carotid artery ultrasound was determined. Results: The patients with carotid plaque also had significantly elevated levels of plasma HCY and IL-8 when compared to those without carotid plaque, reaching up to 17.58 +/- 5.71 u mol/L (p<0.001) and 79.69 +/- 24.85 pg/ml (p<0.001), respectively. In two groups with diabetes, those with plaque had significantly thickened tunica media of right common carotid artery (RCCA) and increased resistance index of bilateral CCAs than those without plaque. Conclusions: HCY can aggregate the VEI in patients with diabetes, and cause thickened tunica media of right common carotid artery (RCCA) and increased resistance index of bilateral CCAs. HCY may trigger VEI in patients with diabetes through effects of the cytokines such as IL-8.