Serum level of dipeptidyl peptidase-4 as a potential biomarker for medullary thyroid cancer

Adipokines are the proteins secreted from adipose tissue and play an important role in the control of metabolism. Dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP4) is a novel adipokine with different biological role. As indicated by various studies, serum levels of DPP4 had been associated with body mass index (BMI), insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome and malignancy. The aim of this study was to assess the serum levels of DPP4 in patients with medullary thyroid cancer (MTC) in comparison with these in the control group.

This study was performed on 45 MTC patients (24 females and 21 males) and 45 healthy controls (21 females and 24 males). DPP4 and insulin serum levels were measured by ELISA, fasting glucose serum levels by enzyme-calorimetric method and insulin resistance index (HOMA-IR) by calculation using relevant equation. BMI (kg/m2) was also calculated.

Our data did not demonstrate a significant difference between serum DPP4 levels in MTC and healthy group (41.06 ± 22.08 ng/ml vs 39.94 ± 20.77 ng/ml, p > 0.05). Additionally, no significant difference was found in serum insulin and HOMA-IR concentrations between MTC patients and the controls (p > 0.05).

This study suggests that the fluctuation in the levels of DPP4 does not play an important role in prognosis, early detection and diagnosis of MTC. Furthermore, higher levels of DPP4 cannot be considered as a risk factor for MTC.