The nonenzymatic protein glycation and the subsequent formation of advanced glycation end products is a process involved in the long-term complications of diabetes. In this context the collaboration, in the last 30 years, between my research group, operating in the DPT of Medicine of Padua University, and the mass spectrometric group, operating in CNR of Padua, are described and discussed. The development of new mass spectrometric techniques has allowed investigation more indepth, starting from the applications on small molecules responsible for the browning observed in the interactions between sugars and proteins, and growing up to intact proteins as albumin, immunoglobulin, hemoglobin, and so forth, with the determination of their glycation levels as well as their glycation sites. This study has helped to clarify the role of advanced glycation end products in the pathogenesis of the chronic complications of diabetes. In particular the results obtained in diabetic nephropathy, diabetic cardiovascular disease and in placenta samples of patients affected by gestational diabetes are described in this review.

中文翻译：

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糖尿病领域医生与质谱专家三十年卓有成效的合作

非酶蛋白糖化和随后形成的晚期糖化终产物是糖尿病长期并发症的一个过程。在此背景下，描述和讨论了过去 30 年来我在帕多瓦大学医学 DPT 的研究小组与在帕多瓦 CNR 的质谱小组之间的合作。新质谱技术的发展使得研究更深入，从对糖和蛋白质相互作用中观察到的褐变小分子的应用开始，到对白蛋白、免疫球蛋白、血红蛋白等完整蛋白质的应用，测定它们的糖化水平以及糖化位点。该研究有助于阐明晚期糖基化终末产物在糖尿病慢性并发症发病机制中的作用。这篇综述特别描述了在糖尿病肾病、糖尿病心血管疾病和受妊娠糖尿病影响的患者胎盘样本中获得的结果。