Unusual shape and structure of lymphocyte nuclei is linked to hyperglycemia in type 2 diabetes patients

Tissue Cell. 2018 Jun:52:92-100. doi: 10.1016/j.tice.2018.04.005. Epub 2018 Apr 24.

Abstract

Type 2 diabetes is an endocrine disorder characterized with hyperglycemia, hyperinsulinemia and insulin resistance. Morphological changes in cell nuclei in diabetes were recently detected. The aim of this study was to compare electron microscopic features of lymphocyte nuclei in type 2 diabetes and healthy individuals using conventional computer assisted methods, fractal analysis and gray level co-occurrence matrix (GLCM) analysis of nuclear chromatin. Mononuclear cells taken from the peripheral blood of newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes patients, metformin treated type 2 diabetes patients and healthy individuals were analyzed with transmission electron microscope. Irregular nuclear contours and lower amount of heterochromatin in lymphocytes were detected with conventional computer assisted methods in type 2 diabetes. Fractal analysis of chromatin structures and GLCM angular second moment (ASM) analysis detected differences in nuclear structure between metformin treated type 2 diabetes and two other groups. Irregularities in lymphocyte nuclei correlated with blood glucose, but not with cholesterol and triglyceride levels. Decrease in fractal dimension, indicating lower level of complexity, increase in GLCM ASM, indicating higher texture uniformity, and higher amount of euchromatin that we found in metformin treated type 2 diabetes could be indicators of higher transcriptional activity in these cells.

Keywords: Diabetes; Electron microscopy; Fractal analysis; Glucose; Lymphocyte; Nucleus.

MeSH terms

  • Cell Nucleus / drug effects
  • Cell Nucleus / pathology*
  • Cell Nucleus / ultrastructure
  • Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / drug therapy
  • Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / pathology*
  • Female
  • Fractals
  • Humans
  • Hyperglycemia / pathology*
  • Hypoglycemic Agents / therapeutic use
  • Image Processing, Computer-Assisted
  • Lymphocytes / drug effects
  • Lymphocytes / pathology*
  • Lymphocytes / ultrastructure
  • Male
  • Metformin / therapeutic use
  • Microscopy, Electron, Transmission
  • Middle Aged

Substances

  • Hypoglycemic Agents
  • Metformin