The Levels of Phoenixin-14 and Phoenixin-20 in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Background: New pathogenesis-related early detection markers are needed to prevent Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM). Objective: We aimed to determine phoenixin (PNX)-14 and PNX-20 levels in T2DM patients and investigate their relationship with diabetes. Methods: 36 T2DM patients and 36 healthy controls were included in the study, and PNX-14 and PNX-20 levels in blood samples taken from the groups were measured by ELISA method. Results: Patients' serum PNX-14 and PNX-20 levels were statistically significantly lower than in controls (p <0.001). A negative correlation was detected between PNX-14 and BMI, fasting blood sugar, HbA1c%, and HOMA-IR. A negative correlation was found between PNX-20 and BMI, fasting insulin and glucose, HbA1c%, and HO-MA-IR. A positive correlation was noticed between PNX-14 and PNX-20 levels. In ROC analyses, PNX-14 and PNX-20 performed almost equally in predicting T2DM. In predicting T2DM, the area under the ROC curve for PNX-14 was 0.874 (cutoff value 413.4 ng/L, sensitivity 89 %, specificity 72%), and for PNX-20 was 0.858 (cutoff value 228.7 ng/L, sensitivity 80 %, specificity 83 %). Conclusion: This study shows that serum PNX measurement may have a high level of evidence in predicting T2DM. PNX, related to pathogenesis, may be useful in diagnosing T2DM and other information to support clinical decision-making.