Oxidative stress plays a key role in the development of microvascular complications of diabetes mellitus (DM). Antioxidant enzymes protect against the rapid onset of diabetic polyneuropathy (DPN) by reducing oxidative stress. Genetic variations that affect activity or expression levels of the antioxidant enzymes may therefore be associated with susceptibility to DPN. We examined polymorphic markers Ala(-9)Val in SOD2 gene and Arg213Gly in SOD3 gene for possible relation to DPN in Russian type 1 diabetic patients. Four hundred Russian white patients with type 1 diabetes were studied using neurological examination according to recommendations of the San Antonio Conference on Diabetic Neuropathy. Two groups were formed from the general sample. Definition of frequency distribution of the polymorphic markers was performed in these groups using the polymerase chain reaction. Genes encoding the enzymes Mn-SOD and extracellular superoxide dismutase (EC-SOD) were found to be associated with the pathogenesis of DPN.