Ethnic differences in urinary monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 and heparanase-1 levels in individuals with type 2 diabetes: the HELIUS study
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 16, 2025

Quantification of Monocyte Transmigration and Foam Cell Formation from Individuals with Chronic Inflammatory Conditions
Published on: October 17, 2017
Anouk I M van der Velden1, Bernard M van den Berg2, B J van den Born3
1Department of Internal Medicine (Nephrology) and Einthoven Laboratory of Vascular and Regenerative Medicine, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands a.i.m.van_der_velden@lumc.nl.
Introduction:
We aimed to investigate ethnic differences in two urinary inflammatory markers in participants with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).
Research Design And Methods:
We included 55 Dutch, 127 South-Asian Surinamese, 92 African Surinamese, 62 Ghanaian, 74 Turkish and 88 Moroccan origin participants with T2DM from the HEalthy LIfe in an Urban Setting study. Using linear regression analyses, we investigated differences in urinary monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) and heparanase-1 (HPSE-1) levels across ethnic minorities compared with Dutch. Associations between the urinary markers and albuminuria (albumin:creatinine ratio (ACR)) was investigated per ethnicity.
Results:
Urinary MCP-1 levels were higher in the Moroccan participants (0.15 log ng/mmol, 95% CI 0.05 to 0.26) compared with Dutch after multiple adjustments. Urinary HPSE-1 levels were lower in the African Surinamese and Ghanaian participants compared with the Dutch, with a difference of -0.16 log mU/mmol (95% CI -0.29 to -0.02) in African Surinamese and -0.16 log mU/mmol (95% CI -0.31 to -0.00) in Ghanaian after multiple adjustments. In all ethnic groups except the Dutch and Ghanaian participants, MCP-1 was associated with ACR. This association remained strongest after multiple adjustment in South-Asian and African Surinamese participants, with an increase in log ACR of 1.03% (95% CI 0.58 to 1.47) and 1.23% (95% CI 0.52 to 1.94) if log MCP-1 increased 1%. Only in the Dutch participants, an association between HPSE-1 and ACR was found, with increase in log ACR of 0.40% (95% CI 0.04 to 0.76) if log HPSE-1 increased 1%.
Conclusions:
We found ethnic differences in urinary MCP-1 and HPSE-1 levels, in a multi-ethnic cohort of participants with T2DM. In addition, we found ethnic differences in the association of MCP-1 and HPSE-1 levels with albuminuria. These findings suggest differences in renal inflammation across ethnic groups.

