Background: Atherosclerosis (AS) is an important risk factor for macrovascular complications in diabetes mellitus and also serves as an independent risk factor for adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events. Objectives: This study aims to investigate the association between serum meteorin-like protein (Metrnl) levels and carotid artery plaques in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Design: This study is a cross-sectional study that recruited patients with type 2 diabetes from our hospital’s endocrinology department and healthy subjects from the physical examination center. Carotid ultrasound and glucose tolerance test were performed, and subjects were grouped and analyzed based on the results of the carotid ultrasound and glucose tolerance test. Methods: A total of 208 participants were enrolled in this study. Serum Metrnl concentrations were measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The predictive value of Metrnl for carotid plaque development in T2DM patients was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. Results: Serum Metrnl levels were elevated in the T2DM with carotid plaque group compared to those without ( p < 0.05). Multivariate stepwise regression analysis revealed that Metrnl was an independent influencing factor for carotid intima-media thickness. Logistic regression analysis demonstrated that serum Metrnl remained independently associated with carotid plaque formation after adjusting for multiple confounders. ROC curve analysis indicated that the area under the curve for Metrnl in predicting carotid plaque in T2DM patients was 0.724 (95% confidence interval: 0.648–0.800), with a sensitivity of 71.3% and specificity of 67.9%. Conclusion: Elevated Metrnl levels are a risk factor for carotid plaque formation in T2DM patients, suggesting a potential role of Metrnl in the initiation and progression of carotid atherosclerosis in diabetic individuals.
Deng et al. (2026) studied this question.