Biomarker For Diabetic Nephropathy Research Articles

Identification and validation of key extracellular proteins as the potential biomarkers in diabetic nephropathy

ObjectiveAccumulation of extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins in the glomerular mesangial region is a typical hallmark of diabetic nephropathy (DN). However, the molecular mechanism underlying ECM accumulation in the mesangium of DN patients remains unclear. The present study aims to establish a connection between extracellular proteins and DN with the goal of identifying potential biomarkers for this condition.MethodsDifferentially expressed genes (DEGs) between DN kidney tissue and healthy kidney tissue were analyzed using the public data GSE166239. Two gene lists encoding extracellular proteins were then utilized to identify extracellular protein-differentially expressed genes (EP-DEGs). Functional enrichment analyses, including Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analyses, were performed on these EP-DEGs. A protein–protein interaction (PPI) network was established to identify key EP-DEGs. Furthermore, the diagnostic ability, immune cell infiltration, and clinical relevance of these EP-DEGs were investigated. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining of paraffin-embedded renal tissues was performed to validate the accuracy of the bioinformatic results.ResultsA total of 1204 DEGs were identified, from which 162 EP-DEGs were further characterized by overlapping with extracellular protein gene lists. From the PPI network analysis, five EP-DEGs (e.g., TNF, COL1A1, FN1, MMP9, and TGFB1) were identified as candidate biomarkers. TNF, COL1A1, and MMP9 had a high diagnostic accuracy for DN. Assessment of immune cell infiltration revealed that the expression of TNF was positively associated with resting dendritic cells (DCs) (r = 0.85, P < 0.001) and M1 macrophages (r = 0.62, P < 0.05), whereas negatively associated with regulatory T cells (r = − 0.62, P < 0.05). Nephroseq v5 analysis demonstrated a negative correlation between the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and TNF expression (r = − 0.730, P = 0.025). Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) revealed significant enrichment of glycosaminoglycan (GAG) degradation in the high-TNF subgroup. IHC staining of renal tissues confirmed significantly elevated TNF-a expression and decreased hyaluronic acid (HA) levels in the DN group compared to controls (both P < 0.05), with a negative correlation observed between TNF-a and HA (r = − 0.691, P = 0.026).ConclusionOur findings suggest that TNF may play a pivotal role in the progress of DN by driving ECM accumulation, and this process might involve GAG degradation pathway activation.

Renoprotective effect of liraglutide on diabetic nephropathy by modulation of Krüppel-like transcription factor 5 expression in rats.

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is a serious consequence of diabetes that can develop through the lysophosphatidic acid axis. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the antidiabetic drug liraglutide can slow the development of diabetic kidney damage by altering the lysophosphatidic acid axis via KLF5. Wistar albino rats were divided into nondiabetic and diabetic rats (resulting from an intraperitoneal streptozotocin dose of 30mg/kg and a high-fat diet). These rats were further divided into four groups: nondiabetic control, liraglutide-treated nondiabetic, diabetic control, and liraglutide-treated diabetic. The nondiabetic and diabetic control groups received normal saline for 42 days, while the liraglutide-treated nondiabetic and diabetic groups received normal saline for 21 days, followed by a subcutaneous dose of liraglutide (200 μg/kg/day) for 21 days. Subsequently, serum levels of DN biomarkers were evaluated, and kidney tissues were histologically examined. The protein expression of PCNA, autotaxin, and KLF5 was detected. Liraglutide treatment in diabetic rats decreased DN biomarkers, histological abnormalities in kidney tissues, and the protein expression of PCNA, autotaxin, and KLF5. Liraglutide can slow the progression of DN by modulating KLF5-related lysophosphatidic acid axis. Thus, liraglutide may be an effective treatment for preventing or mitigating diabetes-related kidney damage.

Identification of hub genes associated with pyroptosis in diabetic nephropathy patients using integrated bioinformatic analysis.

To investigate the role of pyroptosis in diabetic nephropathy (DN) and identify potential biomarkers for diagnosis. We analyzed the GEO dataset GSE96804 to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) related to pyroptosis in DN. The CIBERSORT method was used to assess M1 macrophage infiltration in the samples. Using weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA), we identified gene modules associated with M1 macrophages. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) method was then applied to screen for key genes. The intersection of key genes identified by LASSO and the gene modules obtained from WGCNA resulted in the identification of ten hub genes as potential biomarkers for DN. A total of 366 DEGs were identified, with 310 genes associated with pyroptosis. Increased M1 macrophage infiltration was observed in DN patients. Ten hub genes were identified as potential DN biomarkers: ECM1, LRP2BP, ALKBH7, CDH10, DUSP1, HSPA1A, LPL, NFIL3, PDK4, and TMEM150C. This study highlights the importance of pyroptosis in DN pathophysiology and identifies 10 hub genes as potential biomarkers. These findings may contribute to improved diagnosis and treatment of DN.

Serum adropin as a biomarker of diabetic nephropathy in type 2 diabetic patients

Serum adropin as a biomarker of diabetic nephropathy in type 2 diabetic patients

Evaluating new biomarkers for diabetic nephropathy: Role of α2-macroglobulin, podocalyxin, α-L-fucosidase, retinol-binding protein-4, and cystatin C

BACKGROUND The intricate relationship between type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and diabetic nephropathy (DN) presents a challenge in understanding the significance of various biomarkers in diagnosis. AIM To elucidate the roles and diagnostic values of α2-macroglobulin (α2-MG), podocalyxin (PCX), α-L-fucosidase (AFU), retinol-binding protein-4 (RBP-4), and cystatin C (CysC) in DN. METHODS From December 2018 to December 2020, 203 T2DM patients were enrolled in the study. Of these, 115 were diagnosed with DN (115 patients), while the remaining 88 patients were classified as non-DN. The urinary levels of α2-MG, PCX, and AFU and the serum concentrations RBP-4 and CysC were measured in conjunction with other relevant clinical indicators to evaluate their potential correlations and diagnostic utility. RESULTS After adjustments for age and gender, significant positive correlations were observed between the biomarkers CysC, RBP-4, α2-MG/urinary creatinine (UCr), PCX/UCr, and AFU/UCr, and clinical indicators such as urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR), serum creatinine, urea, 24-h total urine protein, and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR). Conversely, these biomarkers exhibited negative correlations with the estimated glomerular filtration rate (P &lt; 0.05). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis further demonstrated the diagnostic performance of these biomarkers, with UACR showcasing the highest area under the ROC curve (AUCROC) at 0.97. CONCLUSION This study underscores the diagnostic significance of α2-MG, PCX, and AFU in the development of DN. The biomarkers RBP-4, CysC, PCX, AFU, and α2-MG provide promising diagnostic insights, while UACR is the most potent diagnostic biomarker in assessing DN.

Discovery of Free Glycated Amines and Glycated Urea in Diabetic Plasma: Potential Implications in Diabetes.

The role of protein glycation in the pathogenesis of diabetes has been well established. Akin to proteins, free amino acids and other small-molecule amines are also susceptible to glycation in hyperglycemic conditions and may have a role in the pathogenesis of the disease. However, information about glycation of free amino acids and other small-molecule amines is relatively obscure. In the quest to discover small-molecule glycated amines in the plasma, we have synthesized glycated amino acids, glycated creatine, and glycated urea, and by using a high-resolution accurate mass spectrometer, a mass spectral library was developed comprising the precursor and predominant fragment masses of glycated amines. Using this information, we report the discovery of the glycation of free lysine, arginine, and leucine/isoleucine from the plasma of diabetic patients. This has great physiological significance as glycation of these amino acids may create their deficiency and affect vital physiological processes such as protein synthesis, cell signaling, and insulin secretion. Also, these glycated amino acids could serve as potential markers of diabetes and its complications. While other amines, such as creatinine and urea, accumulate in the plasma and act as biomarkers of diabetic nephropathy. For the first time, we report the detection of glycated urea in diabetic plasma, which is confirmed by matching the precursor and fragment masses with the in vitro synthesized glycated urea by using 12C6 and 13C6-glucose. Further, we quantified glycated urea detected in two forms, monoglycated urea (MGU) and diglycated urea (DGU), by a targeted mass spectrometric approach in the plasma of healthy, diabetic, and diabetic nephropathy subjects. Both MGU and DGU showed a positive correlation with clinical parameters, such as blood glucose and HbA1c. Given that urea gets converted to glycated urea in hyperglycemic conditions, it is crucial to quantify MGU and DGU along with the urea for the diagnosis of diabetic nephropathy and study their physiological role in diabetes.

Identification of Lipotoxicity-Related Biomarkers in Diabetic Nephropathy Based on Bioinformatic Analysis.

Objective: This study is aimed at investigating diagnostic biomarkers associated with lipotoxicity and the molecular mechanisms underlying diabetic nephropathy (DN). Methods: The GSE96804 dataset from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database was utilized to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in DN patients. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses were conducted using the DEGs. A protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was established to identify key genes linked to lipotoxicity in DN. Immune infiltration analysis was employed to identify immune cells with differential expression in DN and to assess the correlation between these immune cells and lipotoxicity-related hub genes. The findings were validated using the external dataset GSE104954. ROC analysis was performed to assess the diagnostic performance of the hub genes. The Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) enrichment method was utilized to analyze the key genes associated with lipotoxicity as mentioned above. Result: In this study, a total of 544 DEGs were identified. Among them, extracellular matrix (ECM), fatty acid metabolism, AGE-RAGE, and PI3K-Akt signaling pathways were significantly enriched. Combining the PPI network and lipotoxicity-related genes (LRGS), LUM and ALB were identified as lipotoxicity-related diagnostic biomarkers for DN. ROC analysis showed that the AUC values for LUM and ALB were 0.882 and 0.885, respectively. The AUC values for LUM and ALB validated in external datasets were 0.98 and 0.82, respectively. Immune infiltration analysis revealed significant changes in various immune cells during disease progression. Macrophages M2, mast cells activated, and neutrophils were significantly associated with all lipotoxicity-related hub genes. These key genes were enriched in fatty acid metabolism and extracellular matrix-related pathways. Conclusion: The identified lipotoxicity-related hub genes provide a deeper understanding of the development mechanisms of DN, potentially offering new theoretical foundations for the development of diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets related to lipotoxicity in DN.

Diagnostic Significance of Elabela, FABP1, and FABP2 as Biomarkers of Diabetic Nephropathy in Type 2 Diabetic Patients

Diagnostic Significance of Elabela, FABP1, and FABP2 as Biomarkers of Diabetic Nephropathy in Type 2 Diabetic Patients

Biomarkers for Diabetic Nephropathy with a Focus on Kidney Injury Molecule-1 (KIM-1).

Diabetic Nephropathy (DN), with an increasing rate of mortality and morbidity, is considered the main cause of End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD). A wide spectrum of biomarkers exist for early detection of DN, but they suffer from low specificity and sensitivity, indicating the urgent demand for finding more effective biomarkers. Also, the pathophysiology of tubular damage and its relation to DN are not yet completely understood. Kidney Injury Molecule-1 (KIM-1) is a protein that is expressed at substantially low contents in the kidney under physiological conditions. A number of reports have demonstrated the close relationship between urine and tissue KIM-1 levels and kidney disorders. KIM-1 is known as a biomarker for diabetic nephropathy and renal injury. In this study, we aim to review the potential clinical and pathological roles of KIM-1 in diabetic nephropathy.

Biomarkers of Arginine Methylation in Diabetic Nephropathy: Novel Insights from Bioinformatics Analysis.

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is a severe complication of diabetes influenced by arginine methylation. This study aimed to elucidate the role of protein arginine methylation-related genes (PRMT-RGs) in DN and identify potential biomarkers. Differentially expressed genes in two GEO datasets (GSE30122 and GSE104954) were integrated with 9 PRMT-RGs. Candidate genes were identified using WGCNA and differential expression analysis, then screened using support vector machine-recursive feature elimination and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator. Biomarkers were defined as genes with consistent differential expression across both datasets. Regulatory networks were constructed using the miRNet and Network Analyst databases. Gene set enrichment analysis was performed to identify the signaling pathways in which the biomarkers were enriched in DN. Different immune cells in DN were identified using immune infiltration analysis. Meanwhile, drug prediction and molecular docking identified potential DN therapies. Finally, qRT-PCR and immunohistochemistry validated two biomarkers in STZ-induced DN mice and DN patients. Two biomarkers (FAM98A and FAM13B) of DN were identified in this study. The molecular regulatory network revealed that FAM98A and FAM13B were co-regulated by 6 microRNAs and 1 transcription factor and were enriched in signaling pathways. Immune infiltration and correlation analyses revealed that FAM98A and FAM13B were involved in developing DN along with PRMT-RGs and immune cells. The expression levels of Fam98a and Fam13b were significantly upregulated in the kidneys of DN mice revealed by qRT-PCR analysis. The expression levels of FAM98A were significantly upregulated in the kidneys of DN patients revealed by immunohistochemistry staining. Molecular docking showed that estradiol and rotenone exerted potential therapeutic effects on DN by targeting FAM98A. Comprehensive bioinformatics analysis revealed that FAM98A and FAM13B were potential DN biomarkers correlated with PRMT-RGs and immune cells. This study provided useful insights for elucidating the molecular mechanisms and developing targeted therapy for DN.

Research Progress on Bionic Recognition and Biosensors for the Detection of Biomarkers of Diabetic Nephropathy

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) refers to kidney damage caused by diabetes and is one of the major microvascular complications of diabetes. This disease has a certain degree of concealment in the early stage, with clinical symptoms appearing later and a higher mortality rate. Therefore, the detection of early biomarkers for DN is of great importance in reducing kidney function damage. The common biomarkers for DN mainly include glomerular and tubular lesion markers. At present, clinical diagnosis often uses a combination of multiple indicators and symptoms, and the development of a simple, efficient, and sensitive multi-marker detection platform is particularly important for the early diagnosis of DN. In recent years, with the vigorous development of various biomimetic molecular recognition technologies, biomimetic recognition biosensors (BRBS) have many advantages, such as easy preparation, low cost, high stability, and repeatability under harsh environmental conditions, and have great application potential in the analysis of DN biomarkers. This article reviews the research progress of molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) construction technology and aptamers assembly technology developed in the field of biomimetic sensor research in recent years, as well as the detection of DN biomarkers based on BRBS, and prospects for their development.

Evaluation of urinary haptoglobin level as a biomarker of diabetic nephropathy in children with type 1 diabetes.

Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) is a common endocrine disease in children. Early recognition of complications of T1DM is important for preventing long-term morbidity and mortality. We aimed to investigate whether urinary haptoglobin level is a biomarker of diabetic nephropathy in children with T1DM. Ninety T1DM patients, aged between 2-18years, and 60 healthy age-matched children were included in the study. Glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), spot urine creatinine, microalbumin, protein and haptoglobin levels of all cases were measured and compared. Correlations between HbA1c level, duration of diabetes, spot urine microalbumin/creatinine (uACR), protein/creatinine (uPCR), and haptoglobin/creatinine (uHCR) ratios in the T1DM group were evaluated. T1DM and control groups were homogeneous in terms of age, sex, and anthropometric measurements. uACR was higher in the T1DM group than in the control group (14mg/g vs. 6mg/g) while uHCR was not elevated in T1DM patients. Nevertheless, uHCR was higher in the microalbuminuria group when compared to the normoalbuminuria group. In the T1DM group, moderate positive correlations between uPCR with uACR and uHCR, and weak correlation between uACR and uHCR were found (r = 0.60, p < 0.001; r = 0.55, p < 0.001; r = 0.24, p = 0.03, respectively). No significant relationship was found between diabetes duration, HbA1c levels and uACR, uPCR, and uHCR. Although uHCR in the T1DM group was similar to the control group, uHCR was higher in the microalbuminuria group than in the normoalbuminuria group. These results show that the uHg level could be a biomarker of diabetic nephropathy, but not earlier than albuminuria in the disease course. A higher resolution version of the Graphical abstract is available as Supplementary information.

Lipocalin-2 as a biomarker for diabetic nephropathy

Lipocalin-2 as a biomarker for diabetic nephropathy

Dyslipidemia and serum cystatin C levels as biomarker of diabetic nephropathy in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Diabetic nephropathy is a leading cause of end-stage renal disease. The diagnostic markers of nephropathy, including the presence of albuminuria and/or a reduced estimated glomerular filtration rate, are not clinically ideal, and most of them are raised after a significant reduction in renal function. Therefore, it is crucial to seek more sensitive and non-invasive biomarkers for the diagnosis of diabetic nephropathy. This study aimed to investigate the serum cystatin C levels and dyslipidemia for the detection of diabetic nephropathy in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. A hospital-based comparative cross-sectional study was conducted from December 2021 to August 2022 in Tikur, Anbessa specialized teaching hospital with a sample size of 140 patients with type2 diabetes mellitus. Socio-demographic data was collected using a structured questionnaire, and 5 mL of blood was collected from each participant following overnight fasting for biochemical analyses. In type 2 diabetes patients with nephropathy, we found significant lipoprotein abnormalities and an increase in serum cystatin C (P < 0.001) compared to those without nephropathy. Serum cystatin C, systolic blood pressure, fasting blood glucose, total cholesterol, triglyceride, low density lipoprotein, very low-density lipoprotein, high density lipoprotein, and duration of diabetes were identified as being significantly associated with diabetic nephropathy (P < 0.05) in multivariable logistic regression analysis. The mean values of total cholesterol levels, triglyceride levels, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels were also found to be significantly higher (P < 0.05) in females as compared to male type-2 diabetic patients. The fasting blood glucose levels and lipid profiles of the participants were found to be significantly associated with serum cystatin C levels. The present study found significant serum cystatin C and lipoprotein abnormalities in T2DM patients with diabetic nephropathy when compared with those without diabetic nephropathy, and these lipoprotein abnormalities were significantly associated with serum cystatin C levels.

Comparison between Serum Beta -Trace Protein and Soluble α-Klotho as Early Predictors of Diabetic Nephropathy in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Background: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a systemic disease with serious micro- and macro-vascular complications. Beta-trace protein (BTP), a novel low-molecular weight glycoprotein and α-Klotho (α-KL) that are promising biomarkers of diabetic nephropathy (DN). Further, the upregulation of α-KL (internal or external) seems to protect the kidneys from renal insults. The aim of this study was to compare between serum BTP and soluble α- KL as early predictors and prognostic biomarkers of diabetic nephropathy in patients with type-2 diabetes. &#x0D; Patients and methods: This was a prospective study, which was carried out at the department of internal medicine, DFM, Al-Azhar University between January 2020 to January 2022. It included 60 patients with type-2 diabetes mellitus, who were divided into three equal groups, and a comparison group (control group) of 20 apparently healthy individuals.&#x0D; Results: There was highly statistically significant difference between the four groups regarding Albumin/creatinine ratio (p&lt;0.05), BTP (p&lt;0.001) and soluble α-klotho (p&lt;0.001). Soluble α klotho was negatively correlated with BTP, both of these markers was significantly correlated with Albumin/creatinine ratio.&#x0D; Conclusion: Both BTP and soluble α-klotho can be used as early predictors and biomarkers for diabetic nephropathy in type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Study of urine aquaporine-5 as a biomarker for diabetic nephropathy

Study of urine aquaporine-5 as a biomarker for diabetic nephropathy

The Emerging Roles of MicroRNAs as Biomarkers in Diabetic Nephropathy

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is one of the most common complications of diabetes mellitus (DM), as well as the most common health issue among End Stage Renal Diseases (ESRD). Recent studies have shown that this concern will likely to become a global phenomenon in the future. Early diagnosis of DN is vital for its treatment. MicroRNAs (miRNAs or miRs) are the most promising for new biomarker candidates proposed for DN. MiRNAs, known as non protein-coding short-chain RNA sequences, have a regulatory role in many cellular events. Advances in molecular genetics and successful genomic techniques allow miRNAs to be used in the diagnosis of several diseases. As the DN diagnostic markers used today are insufficient for some cases, identifying new diagnostic markers is the basis of recent studies. Successful use of miRNAs in the areas of cancer, immunity and diabetes indicates that the DN perspective should be based on miRNA. In this review, miRNAs and their role in DN will be reviewed.

Transcriptome Analysis Identifies Oxidative Stress Injury Biomarkers for Diabetic Nephropathy

The early diagnosis of diabetic nephropathy (DN) is essential for improving the prognosis and effectively manage patients affected with this disease. The standard biomarkers, including albuminuria and glomerular filtration rate, are not very precise. New molecular biomarkers are needed to more accurately identify DN and better predict disease progression. Characteristic DN biomarkers can be identified using transcriptomic analysis. To evaluate the transcriptomic profile of controls (CTRLs, n=15), patients with prediabetes (PREDM, n=15), patients with type-2 diabetes mellitus (DM2, n=15), and patients with DN (n=15) by microarray analysis to find new biomarkers. RT-PCR was then used to confirm gene biomarkers specific for DN. Blood samples were used to isolate RNA for microarray expression analysis. 26,803 unique gene sequences and 30,606 LncRNA sequences were evaluated-Selected gene biomarkers for DN were validated using qPCR assays. Sensitivity, specificity, and area under the curve (AUC) were calculated as measures of diagnostic accuracy. The DN transcriptome was composed of 300 induced genes, compared to CTRLs, PREDM, and DM-2 groups. RT-qPCR assays validated that METLL22, PFKL, CCNB1 and CASP2 genes were induced in the DN group compared to CTRLs, PREDM, and DM-2 groups. The ROC analysis for these four genes showed 0.9719, 0.8853, 0.8533 and 0.7748 AUC values, respectively. Among induced genes in the DN group, we found that CASP2, PFKL and CCNB1 may potentially be used as biomarkers to diagnose DN. Of these, METLL22 had the highest AUC score, at 0.9719.

Early renal structural changes and potential biomarkers in diabetic nephropathy.

Diabetic nephropathy is one of the most serious microvascular complications of diabetes mellitus, with increasing prevalence and mortality. Currently, renal function is assessed clinically using albumin excretion rate and glomerular filtration rate. But before the appearance of micro-albumin, the glomerular structure has been severely damaged. Glomerular filtration rate based on serum creatinine is a certain underestimate of renal status. Early diagnosis of diabetic nephropathy has an important role in improving kidney function and delaying disease progression with drugs. There is an urgent need for biomarkers that can characterize the structural changes associated with the kidney. In this review, we focus on the early glomerular and tubular structural alterations, with a detailed description of the glomerular injury markers SMAD1 and Podocalyxin, and the tubular injury markers NGAL, Netrin-1, and L-FABP in the context of diabetic nephropathy. We have summarized the currently studied protein markers and performed bioprocess analysis. Also, a brief review of proteomic and scRNA-seq method in the search of diabetic nephropathy.

Assessment of Serum Podocalyxin as a Biomarker for Diabetic Nephropathy in Type 2 Diabetes patients in Duhok City

Podocalyxin, a glycosylated cell surface sialomucin of the CD34 family, is a kidney podocyte membrane negatively charged protein and the essential constituent of the glomerular basement membrane charge barrier. Additionally, it has a crucial role in maintaining the glomerular filtration barrier permeability. It has been considered that one of the most important factors in diabetic nephropathy is podocyte injury. In the natural history of diabetic nephropathy and macrovascular complications, podocytes have been shown to be structurally and functionally affected. The current study aimed to determine serum podocalyxin levels in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and to analyse its relation to glomerular filtration rate and albuminuria. This cross-sectional study was performed at the diabetic center in Azadi Teaching Hospital and Golan Hospital in Dohuk city from September 2021 to March 2022. Consecutive sampling was applied to select 200 subjects (case group) with T2DM aged 30-65 years and 93 healthy subjects (control group). BMI, eGFR, albuminuria, HbA1c, and serum podocalyxin levels were measured for all study subjects. Serum podocalyxin levels were significantly higher in the case group (P =0.019). There was no significant difference in serum podocalyxin levels between case groups (normoalbuminuria, microalbuminuria, and macroalbuminuria). A significant negative correlation between eGFR and serum podocalyxin was found in both control and case group (P =0.010 r =-0.267, P =0.030 r =-0.154, respectively). Although S.PCX levels had a significant difference between the case and control group and a significant negative correlation with eGFR, it may not be considered as a diabetic nephropathy biomarker.