Monitoring Diabetic Nephropathy by Circulating Gangliosides

Gangliosides are multifunctional molecules, abundantly expressed in renal cell membrane but also in sera of patients with renal disease. The aim of this study was to quantify the serum levels of sialic acid-ganglioside in patients diagnosed with diabetes for an eventual biomarker stratification of patients with renal complications. We included 35 diabetic patients without metabolic complications, 35 patients with diabetic nephropathy, 35 non-diabetic individuals. We found that sialic acid ganglioside serum level was significantly increased in patients with diabetic nephropathy compared to the level obtained in patients with uncomplicated diabetes and to non-diabetic controls. A statistically significant positive correlation was obtained between serum levels of sialic acid gangliosides, HbA1c, and serum creatinine in patients with diabetes without complications. Moreover positive correlation was found between sialic acid ganglioside and blood glucose, HbA1c, urea, creatinine, microalbuminuria in patients with diabetic nephropathy. We can conclude that serum sialic acid-gangliosides are statistically increased in diabetic nephropathy positively correlated with microalbuminuria.