Serum Levels of Vaspin and Its Correlation with Nitric Oxide in Type 2 Diabetic Patients with Nephropathy.

BACKGROUND: Diabetic Nephropathy (DN), a serious and prevalent complication of diabetes, has been rapidly raising worldwide. Vaspin, as an adipokine with anti-diabetic effects, is predominantly released from visceral adipose tissue. Moreover, vaspin has the stimulatory effect on nitric oxide (NO) bioavailability through the activation of NO synthase.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was to investigate the serum levels of vaspin and their correlation with NO metabolite in diabetic patients with normal renal function and renal insufficiency.

METHODS: Volunteers patients with non-nephropathy Type 2 Diabetic Mellitus (T2DM) as control (n=40, age= 56.95±6.11 years) and patients with diabetic nephropathy (DN) (n=40, age=57.85±5.63 years) as case group were enrolled in this study, and serum samples were collected for the measurement of vaspin levels by ELISA technique. Also, serum levels of NO metabolites were calorimetrically assessed.

RESULTS: We found that vaspin levels significantly decreased in diabetic patients with nephropathic condition as compared with diabetic patients with normal renal function (p <0.04). In addition, serum levels of NO metabolites were significantly higher in diabetic patients with nephropathy in comparison with non-nephropathic diabetics (p<0.001). When patients with DN were studied, vaspin levels positively correlated with NO metabolites and Homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) levels.

CONCLUSION: This study showed that low serum vaspin levels may be a risk factor for nephropathy in type II diabetic patients and increased levels of NO may be a defensive mechanism in the DN.