A few of the more severe complications of Type 2 of diabetes are neuropathy and retinopathy. Many of the associated pathologies of diabetes arise as a result of which of the following nonenzymatic modifications of various proteins?

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Nonenzymatic glycosylation, also known as glycation, is the process where glucose molecules bind to proteins without the aid of enzymes, leading to the formation of advanced glycation end-products (AGEs). These AGEs are associated with various complications of diabetes, including neuropathy and retinopathy. The hyperglycemia commonly associated with T2D can be assessed by routine measurement of the circulating levels of glycosylated hemoglobin, designated as the level of HbA1c, often designated as just A_1C. HbA₁ is the major form of adult hemoglobin in the blood and the "c" refers to the glycosylated form of the protein. Since hemoglobin is present in red blood cells and these cells have a limited life span of 120 days in the circulation, measurement of HbA_1c levels is a relatively accurate measure of the amount of glucose in the blood and the length of time the level has been elevated.

A Few of the More Severe Complications of Type 2