Study of Serum Milk Fat Globule-epidermal Growth Factor 8 (MFG-E8) in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus
Yasmen Sabry Madkour *
Clinical Pathology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Tanta University, Tanta, Egypt.
Mona Mohamed Watany
Clinical Pathology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Tanta University, Tanta, Egypt.
Azza Abbas Ghali
Clinical Pathology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Tanta University, Tanta, Egypt.
Ekhlas Hussein ElSheikh
Clinical Pathology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Tanta University, Tanta, Egypt.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Background: Milk Fat Globule-Epidermal Growth Factor 8 (MFG-E8) has been shown to be involved in various biological functions including the phagocytic clearance of apoptotic cells, neovascularization and epithelial restitution. Recently, emerging studies have reported that MFG-E8 plays a role in inflammatory responses and inflammatory/autoimmune diseases. The aim of the present study was to investigate the role of serum MFG-E8 in early diagnosis of microvascular complications in type 2 diabetic (T2D) patients.
Methods: The study included 80 patients with T2D; they were divided in to 4 groups depending on the value of clinical and laboratory parameters. Group A: included 20 patients free of any vascular complications. Group B: included 20 patients with subclinical atherosclerosis. Group C: included 20 patients with early microvascular complications without subclinical atherosclerosis. Group D: included 20 patients with both subclinical atherosclerosis and early microvascular complications. Serum (MFG-E8) was measured by ELISA technique.
Results: There was a significant decrease in the mean value of serum MFG-E8 concentrations in groups C (T2D with early microvascular complications) and D (T2D with both early microvascular complications and subclinical atherosclerosis) when compared to those in groups A (T2D without any vascular complications) and B (T2D with subclinical atherosclerosis only). It negatively correlated with age, fasting and postprandial glucose level, HbA1C, urinary albumin excretion rate, hs-CRP and positively correlated with HDL-C while didn't correlate with body mass index, triglycerides, cholesterol, LDL-C or carotid intima media thickness.
Conclusions: Serum MFG-E8 may be used as an early diagnostic marker of microvascular complications in T2D. MFG-E8 seemed not to be a sensitive biomarker for early diagnosis of subclinical atherosclerosis in T2DM.
Keywords: Serum milk fat globule-epidermal growth factor 8, MFG-E8, type 2 DM, Yasmen Sabry Madkour