Plasma YKL-40: a BMI-independent marker of type 2 diabetes
Anders R Nielsen1, Christian Erikstrup, Julia S Johansen
1Department of InfectiousDiseases, Facultyof Health Sciences, Centre of Inflammation and Metabolism, Copenhagen Muscle Research Center, Rigshospitalet, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark. rinnov@rh.dk
Objective:
YKL-40 is produced by macrophages, and plasma YKL-40 is elevated in patients with diseases characterized by inflammation. In the present study, YKL-40 was examined in relation to obesity, inflammation, and type 2 diabetes.
Research Design And Methods:
Plasma YKL-40 and adipose tissue YKL-40 mRNA levels were investigated in 199 subjects who were divided into four groups depending on the presence or absence of type 2 diabetes and obesity. In addition, plasma YKL-40 was examined in healthy subjects during a hyperglycemic clamp, in which the plasma glucose level was kept at 15 mmol/l for 3 h, and during a hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp.
Results:
Patients with type 2 diabetes had higher plasma YKL-40 (76.7 vs. 45.1 ng/ml, P = 0.0001) but not higher expression in adipose tissue YKL-40 mRNA (1.20 vs. 0.98, P = 0.2) compared with subjects with a normal glucose tolerance. Within the groups with normal glucose tolerance and type 2 diabetes, obesity subgroups showed no difference with respect to either plasma YKL-40 or adipose tissue YKL-40 mRNA levels. Multivariate regression analysis showed that plasma YKL-40 was associated with fasting plasma glucose (beta = 0.5, P = 0.0014) and plasma interleukin (IL)-6 (beta = 0.2, P = 0.0303). Plasma YKL-40 was not related to parameters of obesity. There were no changes in plasma YKL-40 in healthy subjects during either hyperglycemic or hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamps.
Conclusions:
Plasma YKL-40 was identified as an obesity-independent marker of type 2 diabetes related to fasting plasma glucose and plasma IL-6 levels.
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