Circulating Angiopoietin-like Protein 6 Levels and Clinical Features in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes

Objective The main purpose of this study was to evaluate the associations between circulating angiopoietin-like protein 6 (ANGPTL6) levels and various diabetes- and atherosclerosis-related variables in patients with type 2 diabetes. Methods Serum ANGPTL6 levels in patients with type 2 diabetes hospitalized for glycemic control and/or diabetic education were measured using a chemiluminescent immunoassay. Results Most patients had elevated hemoglobin (Hb) A1c levels; 85.7% and 71.4% of patients had HbA1c levels ≥8%, and ≥9%, respectively. ANGPTL6 levels were significantly higher in patients with type 2 diabetes than in non-diabetic controls. In patients with type 2 diabetes, ANGPTL6 was significantly and positively correlated with the duration of diabetes, systolic blood pressure, gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase, C-reactive protein (CRP), and the intimal medial complex thickness of the carotid artery (IMT), and inversely correlated with HbA1c. In the multiple regression analysis, ANGPTL6 had a significant positive association with triglyceride in one of the models in which it was included as a variable. Furthermore, ANGPTL6 also showed significant positive associations with CRP and IMT in models in which they were included as variables. Conclusion The current study suggests that circulating levels of ANGPTL6 may be negatively associated with poor glycemic control and positively associated with the degree of atherosclerosis, as reflected by IMT, in patients with type 2 diabetes, most of whom had elevated HbA1c levels.