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Serum SCUBE-1 levels in patients with diabetic retinopathy
Erel Icel1, Aykut Icel2, Cuma Mertoglu3
1Ophthalmology Department, School of Medicine, Mengücek Gazi Training and Research Hospital, Erzincan Binali Yıldırım University, Erzincan, Turkey. dr_erel@hotmail.com.
Insights
Signal peptide-CUB-Epidermal growth factor-like domain-containing protein 1 (SCUBE-1) levels significantly increase with diabetic retinopathy (DR) progression. This study shows SCUBE-1 as a potential biomarker for DR stages.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Endocrinology
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Signal peptide-CUB-Epidermal growth factor-like domain-containing protein 1 (SCUBE-1) is expressed on endothelial cells and platelets.
- Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a significant complication of diabetes mellitus.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate alterations in SCUBE-1 levels across different stages of diabetic retinopathy.
- To assess the relationship between SCUBE-1 and disease severity in DR patients.
Main Methods:
- A cohort of 136 diabetic patients and 32 controls were categorized by DR presence and stage.
- Serum SCUBE-1, malondialdehyde (MDA), HbA1c, and glucose levels were measured.
- Central macular thickness and volume were analyzed.
Main Results:
- SCUBE-1 and MDA levels significantly increased with advancing stages of DR.
- A significant positive correlation was observed between serum SCUBE-1 and MDA levels (p<0.001).
- No significant correlation was found between SCUBE-1 and other measured parameters.
Conclusions:
- SCUBE-1 levels are significantly elevated in patients with diabetic retinopathy.
- Increasing SCUBE-1 levels correlate with the progression of diabetic retinopathy, suggesting its potential as a biomarker.
Purpose:
Signal peptide-CUB-Epidermal growth factor-like domain-containing protein 1 (SCUBE-1) is a protein expressed on the cell surface of endothelial cells and platelets. We aimed to determine the alterations in SCUBE-1 levels in patients at different stages of diabetic retinopathy (DR).
Materials And Methods:
Participants were grouped into 4 regarding the presence and stage of diabetic retinopathy as follows: control group (n 32), patients without DR (n 39), patients with background DR (n 42) and patients with proliferative DR (n 55). Age, gender, duration of diabetes, fasting blood glucose levels, serum hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), SCUBE-1 and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels of the patients were recorded. Central macular thickness and central macular volume were recorded and compared between groups.
Results:
Totally 136 patients with diabetes mellitus and 32 control cases were included in the study. There is a significant increase in SCUBE-1 and MDA levels with an advance in DR. In correlation analysis, there was only a significant correlation present between serum SCUBE-1 and MDA levels (p 0.001) but not with other parameters.
Conclusion:
For the first time in literature, we determined a significant increase in SCUBE-1 levels in patients with DR. Moreover, with an advance in DR, SCUBE-1 levels were also increasing.
