Background and Aims 
Diabetic macroangiopathy of the lower extremities is one of the main complications of diabetes, most often leading to disability and a decrease in the quality of life of patients. Currently, the use of various drugs with antioxidant properties to correct vascular complications of diabetes is topical. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the antioxidant drug in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and macroangiopathy of the lower extremities for correction of glutathione status.
Method
40 men with T2DM and macroangiopathy of the lower extremities, 20 men with T2DM without such complications and 30 healthy men (control group) were involved in the study. Depending on the treatment, the patients of the T2DM and macroangiopathy of the lower extremities were divided into 2 subgroups of 20 people, in one subgroup additionally applied the solution of N-acetylcysteine in a daily dose of 600 mg once, intravenously, for 7 days. Methods of high-performance liquid chromatography were used.
Results
The level of total glutathione in erythrocytes in patients with T2DM without macroangiopathy and with macroangiopathy decreased by 24 and 50%, respectively. The level of reduced glutathione (GSH) also decreased more in the group with macroangiopathy - by 108% comparing to 59.3% - in the group without complications. The content of oxidized glutathione (GSSG) in the T2DM group without macroangiopathy increased by 52%, and in the macroangiopathy group increased by 70%. 
Glutathione status in patients at addition of N-acetylcysteine in treatment had changed. So, by the third day the value of the GSH increased (by 11%) and became equal to 381±38 μg/ml (p<0.05); by seventh day - by 13% and became equal to 387±42 μg/ml (p<0.05). GSSG level by 50% decreased and became to 45±13 μg/ml (p<0.05); by seventh day GSSG by 79% decreased and becomes 20±4 μg/ml (p<0.05). By the seventh day, the value of the GSH / GSSG coefficient from 6 to 20 (p<0.05) increased, this figure is comparable with that in the control group.

Conclusion
Proceeding from the above, it can be said that the therapy we proposed effectively affects the activation of the glutathione status in patients with T2DM and macroangiopathy of the lower extremities.

STUDY OF GLUTATHIONE STATUS AND ITS CORRECTION IN PATIENTS WITH TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS AND MACROANGIOPATHY OF THE LOWER EXTREMITIES