Erythrocyte fatty acid composition of controls and diabetic patients without or with diabetic retinopathy at mild, moderate, severe, and proliferative stages (% of total fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) + dimethylacetals (DMAs)).

a<p>Based on Kruskall-Wallis test, significantly different when compared to controls (<i>P</i><0.05).</p><p>Erythrocyte fatty acid composition of controls and diabetic patients without or with diabetic retinopathy at mild, moderate, severe, and proliferative stages (% of total fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) + dimethylacetals (DMAs)).</p

LC-ESI-MS normal-phase chromatogram of the lipid extract from human retina.

<p>The retention times of phosphatidyl-ethanolamine (PE), phosphatidyl-inositol (PI), phosphatidyl-serine (PS), phosphatidyl-choline (PC), sphingomyelin (SM), and lyso-phosphatidyl-choline (LPC) classes were of 7–8.5 min, 11–12 min, 12–14 min, 15.5–22 min, and 23–27.5 min, respectively. The mass spectrometer was operated under full scan in the negative ion mode from 0 to 15 min and in the positive ion mode from 15 min to 40 min.</p

Concentration of individual species of phosphatidyl-choline (PC) and plasmenyl-choline (PlsC) in erythrocytes from controls and diabetic patients without or with mild, moderate, severe or proliferative diabetic retinopathy (results are expressed as µg of mg phospholipids).

<p>Abbreviations of individual PC and PlsC species are as follows: position on the glycerol backbone as shown as sn-1/sn-2 of the fatty acid and fatty alcohol radicals (abbreviated as number of carbons: number of double bonds).</p>a<p>Based on Kruskall-Wallis test, significantly different when compared to controls (<i>P</i><0.05).</p><p>Concentration of individual species of phosphatidyl-choline (PC) and plasmenyl-choline (PlsC) in erythrocytes from controls and diabetic patients without or with mild, moderate, severe or proliferative diabetic retinopathy (results are expressed as µg of mg phospholipids).</p

Statistically significant associations between erythrocyte and retinal individual choline-phospholipid concentrations evaluated by liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry.

a<p>: Abbreviations of individual PC and PlsC species are as follows: position on the glycerol backbone as shown as sn-1/sn-2 of the fatty acid and fatty alcohol radicals (abbreviated as number of carbons: number of double bonds).</p

Erythrocyte PC16:0/20:4 as a possible marker of a pool of retinal VLC-PUFA.

<p><b>A</b>): In the retina, VLC-PUFA accounted for about 25% of retinal PC species esterified to DHA, themself representing 11% of retinal total PC and PlsC. <b>B</b>): PC34:6/22:6, PC36:6/22:6, and PC36:5/22:6 were the longest and the most unsaturated VLC-PUFA in the retina. These three species accounted for 22.7% of total retinal VLC-PUFA. <b>C</b>) This pool of retinal VLC-PUFA was negatively associated with erythrocyte PC16:0/20:4 (<i>rSpearman</i> = −0.783, <i>P</i> = 0.01). Abbreviations of individual PC species are as follows: position on the glycerol backbone as shown as <i>sn-1</i>/<i>sn</i>-2 of the fatty alcohol radicals (abbreviated as <i>number of carbons: number of double bonds</i>).</p

Characteristics of the patients included in the study.

a<p>Based on Chi-square test for gender, type of diabetes and micro- and macro-vascular complications, and Kruskall-Wallis test for age, HBA_1c, total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol and triglycerides.</p><p>Characteristics of the patients included in the study.</p

Statistically significant associations between erythrocyte and optic nerve or retinal phospholipid fatty acid compositions evaluated by gas chromatography.

a<p>: corresponding to the derivative formed during methylation from alkenyl- residues of plasmalogens.</p

Statistically significant associations between erythrocyte and optic nerve individual choline-phospholipid concentrations evaluated by liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry.

a<p>: Abbreviations of individual PC and PlsC species are as follows: position on the glycerol backbone as shown as sn-1/sn-2 of the fatty acid and fatty alcohol radicals (abbreviated as number of carbons: number of double bonds).</p

Red blood cell membrane levels of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), total n-3 PUFA, n-6 PUFA, and total n-6 PUFA/total n-3 PUFA in control subjects and diabetic patients with or without DR.

<p>Results are expressed as means ± SEM. * based on Kruskall-Wallis test (<i>P</i><0.05).</p

Characteristics of the human donors, tissue collection, and sample analyzes.

*<p>: Standard Deviation.</p>$<p>: no data for retinal PE for this subject.</p