MMSL 2025, 94(2):58-65 | DOI: 10.31482/mmsl.2024.005

EVALUATION OF CARNITINE AND LDH LEVELS IN PATIENTS WITH TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS AND ITS COMPLICATIONSOriginal article

Ahmed Ghdhban Al-Ziaydi ORCID...1*, Murtadha Abdulhamid Kadhim ORCID...2, Radhi Farhod Shlash ORCID...3
1 Department of Medical Chemistry, College of Medicine, University of Al-Qadisiyah, Qadisiyah – Iraq, E-mail: ahmed.alziaydi@qu.edu.iq, Mobile: 00964-7805518844
2 Department of Medical Chemistry, College of Medicine, University of Al-Qadisiyah, Qadisiyah – Iraq
3 Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Al-Qadisiyah, Qadisiyah – Iraq, E-mail: radhi.shaibani@qu.edu.iq, Mobile: 00964-7801135298

Background: Type 2 diabetes is a common condition that causes the level of sugar (glucose) in the blood to become too high. It can cause symptoms relative insulin deficit, whether due to beta-cell damage, insulin resistance. The study of carnitine and LDH levels in diabetic patients is significant because both play important roles in the metabolism of glucose and fatty acids. Carnitine is a compound that transports fatty acids into the mitochondria for energy production, while LDH (lactate dehydrogenase) is an enzyme involved in the conversion of glucose to lactate. Humans with type 2 diabetes develop lipid accumulation due to carnitine depletion. LDH is an essential physiological molecule in the glycolytic pathway, and its concentration may be indicative of the condition of cellular metabolism.

Aim: For measuring and evaluating the levels of serum carnitine and LDH in all study groups.

Method: A case-control study was done in the Al-Zahraa Teaching Hospital, Kut, Iraq on 150 Iraqi males and females as patients and control between (April 2022 and January 2023). Their ages ranged between 44 and 77 years. Among them were 120 patients divided into 4 groups 30 type 2 diabetes mellitus; 30 diabetic cardiomyopathies; 30 diabetic nephropathies; 30 diabetic retinopathies and 30 control group where control group's age and gender matched those of the patient groups. All patients gave written informed consent to participate in the clinical study. ELISA was used to measure carnitine and LDH.

Result: In present study, it was confirmed that carnitine was significantly lower than the control group and that LDH was significantly higher than the control group. the study demonstrated significant differences in fasting blood sugar and HbA1C levels among the control group, DM2, DCM, DNP, and DRP groups.

Conclusion: This case-control study revealed significant differences in carnitine levels, LDH, FBS, and HbA1C levels among patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and their complications compared to the control group. These findings suggest alterations in energy metabolism and cellular damage in patients, indicating poorer glycemic control, and supporting the presence of uncontrolled diabetes.

Keywords: diabetes mellitus; nephropathy; retinopathy; cardiomyopathy; carnitine; lactate; dehydrogenase

Received: June 25, 2023; Revised: February 8, 2024; Accepted: April 3, 2024; Prepublished online: April 10, 2024; Published: June 2, 2025  Show citation

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Ghdhban Al-Ziaydi, A., Abdulhamid Kadhim, M., & Shlash, R.F. (2025). EVALUATION OF CARNITINE AND LDH LEVELS IN PATIENTS WITH TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS AND ITS COMPLICATIONS. MMSL, 94(2), 58-65. doi: 10.31482/mmsl.2024.005
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