Circulating levels of asprosin and its association with insulin resistance and renal function in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and diabetic nephropathy

Introduction Adipokines play an important role in the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and its complications like nephropathy. Asprosin is a newly discovered adipokine involved in glucose metabolism and inflammation process. The present study aimed to evaluate asprosin levels in patients with T2DM and T2DM + nephropathy (NP) compared to control subjects as well as investigating its relationship with insulin resistance, inflammation, and renal function markers. Methods Serum levels of asprosin, adiponectin, IL-6, and TNF-alpha were measured in 55 control subjects, 54 T2DM, and 55 T2DM + NP patients using ELISA kits. Results Asprosin was found to be higher in the T2DM (6.73 +/- 1.67) and T2DM + NP (7.11 +/- 1.54) patients compared to the controls (4.81 +/- 1.09) (p < 0.001), while adiponectin indicated a lower concentration in both patient groups compared to the control group. Moreover, IL-6 and TNF-alpha indicated higher levels in the two patients group compared to the control group. Asprosin was observed to have a positive correlation with HbA1c, FBG, TC, LDL-C, IL-6, and TNF-alpha in the T2DM group. In the patients with T2DM + NP, asprosin was found to be positively correlated with BMI, HbA1c, insulin, HOMA-IR, Cr, UAE, IL-6, and TNF-alpha, and it was inversely correlated with eGFR. Conclusion Higher concentrations of asprosin in the T2DM and T2DM + NP groups and its relationship with glucose and lipid metabolism and markers of renal function and inflammation suggested a possible role for this adipokine in the pathogenesis of both T2DM and nephropathy.