Role of inflammatory biomarkers in nephropathy and atherosclerosis in TYPE 2 diabetes mellitus patients with microalbuminuria

Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (Type 2DM) is a common chronic disease in the world. Microalbuminuria (MAU) which is due to endothelial damage in Type 2DM leads to progressive diabetic nephropathy (DN). These two are the most important microvascular complications of the disease. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between serum inflammation biomarkers (Monocyte Chemoattractant Protein-MCP-1), Interleukin-6 (Interleukin-6-IL-6), Interleukin-10 (Interleukin-10-IL-10), Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF-α), High Sensitive C-Reactive Protein (Hs-CRP) and DN and atherosclerosis. The levels of inflammatory biomarkers were detected by Multipex Assay method in patients with Type2DM (MAU (+), n=40; MAU (-) n=40). Ankle Brachial Index (ABI) which is an indicator of atherosclerosis was also determined along with routine cardiometabolic markers. Student t Test and Pearson test was used for statistics. No significant difference was found in the levels of inflammatory biomarkers between the 2 groups (MAU (+), MAU (-)). Similarly, in both groups, ABI values were within the normal range of 0.9-1.3 and thus no significant difference between the groups. A moderate or strong correlation was detected between inflammatory biomarkers IL-6, IL-10, MCP-1 and TNF-α and cardiometabolic markers Tkol, TG and LDL in patients with MAU (+). Cardiometabolic markers increased significantly parallel to the inflammatory biomarkers' increase. However, no significant relationship was found between ABI, the determining factor in atherosclerosis, in patients with MAU (+), and inflammatory biomarkers and cardiometabolic markers. As a result, MAU, ABI and inflammatory markers in patients with Type 2DM have been investigated together for the first time. New studies with large cohorts, MAU subgroups, or prospective designs may lead to a better understanding of the relationship between DN and atherosclerosis.