Are biomarkers of vascular injury associated with the risk of developing type 2 diabetes?
Biomarkers of vascular injury, specifically E-Selectin, thrombomodulin, and ICAM3, are significantly associated with the future risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
Data on biomarkers of vascular injury and type 2 diabetes (T2D) risk from prospective studies are lacking. We evaluated seven biomarkers of vascular injury in relation to T2D. Additionally, a meta-analysis was performed. From the EPIC-Heidelberg cohort, 2224 participants were followed-up from baseline for 16 (median) years. E-Selectin, P-Selectin, intercellular adhesion molecule 3 (ICAM3), thrombomodulin, thrombopoietin, glycoprotein IIb/IIIa and fibrinogen levels were measured in baseline blood samples. The systematic review and meta-analysis included prospective studies identified through MEDLINE and Web of Science that investigated the association between mentioned biomarkers and T2D. The study population included 55% women, median age was 50 years, and 163 developed T2D. ICAM3 was associated with lower T2D risk (fully adjusted HRhighest vs. lowest tertile 0.62 (95% CI: 0.43, 0.91)), but no other studies on ICAM3 were identified. Overall, fifteen studies were included in the systematic review and meta-analysis (6,171 cases). E-Selectin was associated with higher T2D risk HRper SD: 1.34 (95% CI: 1.16, 1.54; I2 = 63%, n = 9 studies), while thrombomodulin was associated with lower risk HRper SD: 0.82 (95% CI: 0.71, 0.95; I2 = 0%, n = 2 studies). In the EPIC-Heidelberg, ICAM3 was associated with lower T2D risk. The meta-analysis showed a consistent positive association between E-Selectin and T2D. It was also suggestive of an inverse association between thrombomodulin and T2D, although further studies are needed to corroborate this finding.
Pletsch‐Borba et al. (Wed,) studied this question.