Fructosamines are compounds that result from glycation reactions between glucose and a primary amine, followed by isomerization via the Amadori rearrangement.
Biologically, fructosamines are recognized by fructosamine-3-kinase, which may trigger the degradation of advanced glycation end-products (though the true clinical significance of this pathway is unclear).
In small animal veterinary practice however it is part of the diabetic cat or dog diagnosis and monitoring[1] giving an indication of blood glucose levels over the previous week.
Because albumin has a half-life of approximately 20 days, the plasma fructosamine concentration reflects relatively recent (1–2 week) changes in blood glucose.
[citation needed] In practice, fructosamine is rarely measured clinically (even in individuals with hemoglobinopathies or other red cell disorders) due to a number of pragmatic concerns.
Third, the overwhelming majority of studies in diabetes care are based on A1c measurements, which can make fructosamine results difficult to interpret.
A variety of more advanced forms of the A1c test (e.g. some types of HPLC, immunoassay, and capillary electrophoresis) can more accurately assay A1c levels during complex hemoglobinopathies and other conditions.