Evaluation of Serum Visfatin and Chemerin Levels in Diabetes Patients in Mosul City

Abstract

Background: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a major public health concern worldwide. Although there are many possible causes of diabetes, the three most prevalent ones are insulin resistance, pancreatic cell damage, and insulin insufficiency. Visfatin, an adipocytokine with insulin-mimicking characteristics, and chemerin, an adipokine responsible for maintaining normal cholesterol and glucose levels, are linked to inflammation and immunological dysfunction in metabolic illnesses. Hence, in this study, we aimed to evaluate the possible association between type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and the adipokines visfatin and chemerin. Methods and Results: This study was conducted at the Al-Salam Teaching Hospital in Mosul from December 1, 2022, to the end of June 2023. The study included 65 patients of both sexes with T2DM aged between 35 and 80. Twenty-five healthy individuals of both sexes were chosen for a control group. Visfatin and chemerin levels in the serum were measured using an ELISA kit (Koma biotech, ELISA, USA) per the manufacturer's instructions. The levels of visfatin and chemerin in T2DM patients were significantly higher than in controls (1.478±0.631ng/ml and 158.768±36.941pg/ml vs. 0.538±0.151ng/ml and 71.272±12.994pg/ml, respectively, P=0.000 in both cases). The study showed no significant difference in the levels of chemerin and visfatin between females and males in T2DM patients. Among men, the visfatin levels were significantly higher in T2DM patients with diabetic retinopathy than in T2DM patients with such complications as cardiovascular disease and diabetic nephropathy. These features also occurred among women. Men and women with T2DM did not differ in the chemerin levels, depending on the nature of the diabetes complication. Conclusion: T2DM patients are characterized by significantly higher visfatin and chemerin levels than healthy controls. No differences in the levels of these adipokines that depend on the gender of diabetic patients have been found.