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Updated: Jun 25, 2025
Electrochemiluminescence Assays for Human Islet Autoantibodies
Published on: March 23, 2018
Serum autoantibodies against hexokinase 1 manifest secondary to diabetic macular edema onset
Daniela Šimčíková1, Jana Ivančinová1, Miroslav Veith2
1Third Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic.
Aims:
Autoantibodies against hexokinase 1 (HK1) were recently proposed to be associated with diabetic macular edema (DME). We hypothesized that anti-HK1 autoantibodies can be used as DME markers and to predict DME onset.
Materials And Methods:
Serum from patients with 1) DME, 2) diabetes mellitus (DM), 3) allergies or autoimmunities, and 4) control subjects was tested for anti-HK1 and anti-hexokinase 2 (HK2) autoantibodies by immunoblotting. Patients with DM were prospectively followed for up to nine years, and the association of anti-HK1 antibodies with new-onset DME was evaluated. The vitreous humor was also tested for autoantibodies.
Results:
Among patients with DME, 32 % were positive for anti-HK1 autoantibodies (42 % of those with underlying type 1 DM and 31 % of those with underlying type 2 DM), and 12 % were positive for anti-HK2 autoantibodies, with only partial overlap of these two groups of patients. Anti-HK1 positive were also 7 % of patients with DM, 6 % of patients with allergies and autoimmunities, and 3 % of control subjects. The latter three groups were anti-HK2 negative. Only one of seven patients with DM who were initially anti-HK1 positive developed DME.
Conclusions:
Anti-HK1 autoantibodies can be used as DME markers but fail to predict DME onset.
