The Relationship Between eNOS Gene Expression and Patients with Type 2 Diabetes and Depression

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a metabolic disorder caused by hyperglycemia which is the most common form of diabetes and causes impairment in insulin secretion and insulin resistance. Increased inflammatory elements such as eNOS can be associated with type 2 diabetes and depression. Therefore, the above study investigated the effect of eNOS gene expression on diabetes-related depression in patients with types 2 diabetes. This study is of case-control type. The participants of this study are those who referred to the diabetes outpatient clinic of Shariati Hospital. The present study was performed on 50 male and female patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and depression, and 50 type 2 diabetic patients without depression as a control group. RNA extraction from blood was performed by a unique test kit and finally, gene expression was measured using quantitative Real-Time-PCR and NanoDrop spectophotometers. The expression of nitric oxide synthase gene in patients with type 2 diabetes and depression increased compared to people with type 2 diabetes without depression, which was not statistically significant (p>0.05). Regarding the increase of this enzyme in the case group, it can be said that the concentration of reactive oxygen or nitrogen species such as Superoxide (O2-), Nitric oxide (NO) and Peroxynitric acid (HNO4) can increase in conditions such as inflammation that inhibit the body’s natural defense and antioxidant activities. The present study showed that increased eNOS expression level is associated with post-diabetes depression. Therefore, it can be a good treatment goal for type 2 diabetic patients with depression.