In type 2 diabetes, the relationship between antioxidants and insuline-like trace elements is very complex during oxidative stress, being mediated by hyperglycemia, dyslipidemia and inflammation. We investigated the antioxidant status, particularly Mn and Cr on the diabetes metabolic control, and their interaction with the metabolic syndrome (MS) parameters. The study was undertaken on 278 Algerian diabetic subjects who were divided in 2 groups according to glycated hemoglobin (HbA(1c)) <7% or >7% value, attesting for a good or poor metabolic control of diabetes, respectively. The MS was defined according to NCEP-ATPIII. Insulin resistance was evaluated by HOMA-IR model. The plasma manganese concentrations was significantly increased in both diabetics groups, independently of metabolic control. However, chromium (Cr) seems to play a determinant action in metabolic control, as shown by better values of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) and HbA(1c). The selenium status was positively correlated with glutathion peroxidase activity. Copper and zinc plasma levels in the diabetic patients were similar to those of control subjects. In conclusion, our results suggest that Mn play a crucial role in antioxidant capacity and we hypothesize that antioxidant defense is preserved in the cytosol (superoxide dismutase Cu/Zn -SOD), whereas it is impaired in mitochondria (Mn-SOD), which makes this cell organelle a true therapeutic target in diabetes.