Abstract
BackgroundVisfatin is a multifaceted protein that plays an important role in regulating a variety of physiological and pathological processes, including obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. However, circulating visfatin levels in atherosclerosis plaque progression in patients with type 2 diabetes, or its association with the vascular territory affected remain unclear.MethodsWe evaluated the relationship between visfatin levels and carotid or femoral artery atherosclerosis in Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes. Serum levels of visfatin were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in 97 inpatients with type 2 diabetes. Carotid and/or femoral atherosclerotic plaques were detected by B-mode ultrasound.ResultsSerum visfatin levels were elevated in the group with atherosclerotic plaques compared to the control group without plaques [0.68 (0.46–1.58) versus 0.45 (0.23–0.76) ng/mL, respectively, P = 0.0002]. Patients with carotid plaques showed higher visfatin levels than those with or without femoral plaques. Pearson’s correlation analysis showed that serum visfatin levels were positively correlated with waist circumference (r = 0.226, P = 0.029), waist-hip ratio (r = 0.221, P = 0.032), TG (r = 0.222, P = 0.030) and number of plaques (r = 0.275, P = 0.009). Logistic regression analysis showed that a higher serum visfatin level was an independent predictor for the presence of atherosclerotic plaques.ConclusionsIn conclusion, among patients with T2DM, serum visfatin levels were elevated in those with atherosclerotic plaques, especially in patients with carotid atherosclerotic plaques. Serum visfatin may serve as a predictor of atherosclerotic plaques in patients with T2DM.
Highlights
Visfatin is a multifaceted protein that plays an important role in regulating a variety of physiological and pathological processes, including obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease
There was no difference in serum visfatin levels between male and female subjects
P-value visfatin age Discussion In the current study, we demonstrated that serum visfatin levels are significantly elevated in type 2 diabetic patients with atherosclerotic plaques compared to those without plaques
Summary
Visfatin is a multifaceted protein that plays an important role in regulating a variety of physiological and pathological processes, including obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Atherosclerosis is the underlying cause of cardiovascular disease and inflammation and oxidative stress are thought to play an important role in this complex process [3, 4]. Increased serum visfatin levels have been associated with carotid atherosclerosis in patients with type 2 diabetes or metabolic syndrome [11, 12]. Circulating visfatin levels in atherosclerosis plaque progression in patients with type 2 diabetes, or its association with the vascular territory affected remain unclear
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