Association of Serum Urotensin-II Levels with Insulin Resistance and Endothelin-I in Type-II Diabetes Mellitus Patients

Urotensin-II (UII), a pluripotent vasoactive cyclic peptide, exhibits the progression of cardiovascular diseases and the glucose metabolic disorder of insulin resistance. Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) is entirely associated with insulin resistance. This study aimed to demonstrate the association of UII with insulin resistance in diabetic and non-diabetic subjects. A total of 73 male and female subjects aged 40-60 years were recruited in this case-control study. They included 35 non- diabetic subjects with a body mass index of (BMI) ≤ 25 and 38 patients with Diabetes Mellitus and BMI ≥ 25. UII levels were assessed beside other vasoactive and clinical parameters. The results revealed that patients with T2DM had elevated UII and Endothelin-I (ET-I) levels, along with positive correlations with the insulin-resistance marker of Homeostatic Model Assessment for Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR), blood pressure (BP), fasting blood glucose (FBG), hemoglobin A1c (HbA1C), and asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA). Results from stepwise multiple regressions indicated that UII correlated positively with the increases in the levels of serum cholesterol, ET-I, urea, ADMA, and FBG. This study concludes that the increase in UII level has a positive relation with insulin-resistance and the increase in ET-I level. However, UII could inhibit glucose-induced insulin secretion and, hence, can be utilized as a marker for T2DM and its complications through inflammatory microangiopathy.