Serum obestatin and omentin levels in patients with diabetic nephropathy

Diabetic nephropathy is the leading cause of chronic kidney disease and accounts for almost 45% of all new patients requiring renal replacement therapy. Omentin and obestatin, two novel proteins were suggested to be associated with insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular risk factors. Thus, we postulated that they may also have an association with diabetic nephropathy which is known to be an independent cardiovascular risk factor. In order to investigate such an association we compared serum omentin and obestatin levels in type 2 diabetic patients with normoalbuminuria (NA) and macroalbuminuria (MA).

A total of 81 type 2 diabetic patients were separated into two groups according to their proteinuria status; patients with NA (n = 39) and patients with MA (n = 42). Two groups were compared in terms of serum omentin and obestatin levels.

While s erum omentin levels did not differ among two groups (P = 0.407), serum obestatin levels were significantly higher in MA group (P = 0.001).

The results of this study showed that higher serum levels of obestatin were associated with macro albuminuria suggesting that obestatin may have a role in underlying pathogenic mechanisms that leads to diabetic nephropathy.