Plasma soluble intercellular adhesion molecule 1 levels are increased in type 2 diabetic patients with nephropathy

Intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1) is a mediator in the recruitment of leukocytes in the glomerular cells. The role of ICAM-1 in diabetic complications is still a matter of debate. This study was performed to investigate the relation of plasma soluble ICAM-1 (sICAM-1) to nephropathy in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Ninety-three patients (24 males and 69 females) with type 2 diabetes mellitus were included into the study. Fifty patients had nephropathy, and 43 were free from nephropathy. Fifty healthy subjects (14 males and 36 females) served as the control group (group 1). Twenty-five of the diabetic patients had microalbuminuria (group 2), 25 had macroalbuminuria (group 3), and 43 had neither micro- nor macroalbuminuria (group 4). The plasma sICAM-1 levels were measured in blood samples drawn after fasting.

The mean plasma sICAM-1 levels were not different in the 93 diabetic patients as compared with the healthy controls (392.7 +/- 119.5 vs. 350.1 +/- 90.2 ng/ml, p > 0.05). The mean sICAM-1 level was significantly higher in the diabetic patients with nephropathy than in those without nephropathy (430.3 +/- 78.2 vs. 368.2 +/- 122.5 ng/ml, p = 0.03) and in the controls (430.3 +/- 78.2 vs. 350.1 +/- 90.2 ng/ml, p = 0.016). The difference in sICAM-1 levels between groups 2 and 3 was not significant (p > 0.05). The plasma sICAM-1 levels were significantly higher in both groups 2 and 3 than in both groups 1 and 4 (434.5 +/- 129.2 vs. 427.2 +/- 113.7 ng/ml and 368.2 +/- 122.5 vs. 350.1 +/- 90.2 ng/ml, respectively).

The plasma sICAM-1 levels in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus are not significantly different from those in nondiabetic subjects. High levels of sICAM-1 suggest that sICAM-1 may play a role in the development of nephropathy in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.