The relationship between islet β-cell function and metabolomics in overweight patients with Type 2 diabetes

A cross-sectional study was performed using metabolomics in overweight patients with Type 2 diabetes (T2D) at different stages of the disease. We aimed to identify potential metabolites for assessing islet β-cell function in order to investigate the correlation between islet β-cell dysfunction and metabolite changes in overweight patients with T2D. We selected 60 overweight adults (24 ≤ body mass index [BMI] < 28 kg/m2) with T2D who had been admitted to our hospital. The participants were equally divided into three groups according to disease duration: H1 (duration ≤ 5 years), H2 (5 years < duration ≤ 10 years), and H3 (duration > 10 years). Questionnaires, physical examinations, laboratory tests, and imaging studies were administered to all participants. The modified homeostasis model of assessment (HOMA) index was calculated using fasting C-peptide levels, and metabolite assays were performed using mass spectrometry. The results showed that HOMA-β and visceral fat area (VFA) were negatively correlated with diabetes duration. The VFA was positively correlated with arginine, cysteine, methionine, proline, and succinyl/methylmalonylcarnitine levels. The HOMA-β was negatively correlated with the serine and tetradecanoyldiacylcarnitine levels, and positively correlated with the aspartic acid, cysteine, homocysteine, piperamide, proline, and valine levels. The HOMA-IR was negatively correlated with hydroxypalmitoylcarnitine levels and positively correlated with the myristoylcarnitine levels. Thus, at different stages of T2D progression in overweight patients, serine, aspartic acid, cysteine, homocysteine, piperamide, proline, valine, and tetradecanoyldiacylcarnitine may be associated with HOMA-β and represent potential novel biomarkers for evaluating islet β-cell function.