The association between serum growth differentiation factor 15 levels and lower extremity atherosclerotic disease is independent of body mass index in type 2 diabetes

Evaluation of the relationship between atherosclerosis and Helicobacter pylori infection with measurement of growth differentiation factor 15 and atherosclerosis indicators in adults with no comorbidity

BACKGROUND

The aim of this study was to investigate presence of subclinical atherosclerosis by measuring carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) in patients with Helicobacter pylori (HP) and to assess effects of HP on atherosclerosis by evaluating markers of atherosclerosis and blood growth differentiation factor (GDF-15) levels.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This cross-sectional study included 59 patients without comorbid disease who had HP and 30 healthy controls without HP in upper endoscopic biopsy. In order to assess atherosclerosis, the CIMT measurement was performed by sonography. Serum GDF-15 level was measured by ELISA method. In all patients, atherosclerosis markers were recorded. Atherogenic indices were calculated, including Castelli risk index I and II (TG/HDL-c and LDL-c/HDL-c, respectively), plasma atherogenic index (PAI; log TG/HDL-c), non-HDL-c (TH-HDL-c) and atherogenic coefficient (AC; non-HDL-HDL-c).

RESULTS

The GDF-15 level and CIMT were significantly higher in HP-positive group when compared to HP-negative group (p≤0.001). There was a significant correlation between serum GDF-15 level and CIMT (r=0.445; p≤0.001). There was no correlation between other atherosclerosis markers and serum GDF-15 level or CIMT. The bacterial intensity on endoscopic specimen was only correlated with CIMT (p<0.001). Vitamin B12 and D levels were comparable among groups.

CONCLUSION

This study suggested that there was a correlation between GDF-15 level and subclinical atherosclerosis development in patients with HP. However, GDF-15 level, which was found to be elevated while atherogenic indices were normal, can be an earlier marker for subclinical atherosclerosis.

Circulating growth differentiation factor 15 levels and apolipoprotein B to apolipoprotein A1 ratio in coronary artery disease patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus

BACKGROUND

Clinical investigations have found that there was a close association between T2DM and adverse cardiovascular events, with possible mechanisms included inflammation, apoptosis, and lipid metabolism disorders. High serum GDF-15 concentration and the apolipoprotein B/apolipoprotein A1 ratio (ApoB/ApoA1) are involved in the above-mentioned mechanisms and are thought to be related to the occurrence of adverse cardiovascular events. However, it remains unclear whether circulating GDF-15 levels and the ApoB/ApoA1 ratio are related to T2DM patients with CAD.

METHODS

T2DM patients with or without CAD were eligible for this study. According to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 502 T2DM patients were enrolled between January 2021 and December 2021 and were then divided into T2DM group (n = 249) and CAD group (n = 253). The ApoB, ApoA1 and GDF-15 concentrations were measured at hospital admission and the ApoB/ApoA1 ratio was then calculated.

RESULTS

Compared with T2DM group, serum GDF-15 levels and ApoB/ApoA1 ratio increased in CAD group. Furthermore, a positive relationship between the occurrence of CAD in diabetic population and circulating GDF-15 concentrations and ApoB/ApoA1 ratio was observed in logistic regression analysis (p < 0.01). Restrictive cubic spline analysis after adjusted for multiple risky variables showed that serum GDF-15 or ApoB/ApoA1 ratio correlated positively with CAD.

CONCLUSIONS

Circulating GDF-15 levels and serum ApoB/ApoA1 ratio vary in CAD group and T2DM group. ApoB/ApoA1 and GDF-15 may be helpful for predicting the occurrence of CAD in patients with T2DM.

Association of time in range with lower extremity atherosclerotic disease in type 2 diabetes mellitus: a prospective cohort study

PURPOSE

Time in range (TIR) has surfaced as a key continuous glucose monitoring (CGM)-derived metric, which was linked to diabetes-related outcomes. We aimed to investigate the association of TIR with the risk of lower extremity atherosclerotic disease (LEAD) among patients with type 2 diabetes.

METHODS

A total of 1351 adult patients with type 2 diabetes were prospectively recruited from a single center in Shanghai, China. TIR was obtained from CGM data at baseline. LEAD was measured with color Doppler ultrasonography. Cox proportion hazard regression analysis was used to assess the association between TIR and the risk of incident/progressive LEAD.

RESULTS

During a median follow-up of 7.4 years, 450 participants developed incident/progressive LEAD. The multivariable-adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) for incident/progressive LEAD across different levels of TIR ( > 85%, 71~85%, 51~70%, and ≤50%) were 1.00, 1.15 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.87-1.52), 1.37 (95% CI 1.04-1.80) and 1.46 (95% CI 1.10-1.94) (P for trend = 0.004), respectively. With each 10% decrease in TIR, the multivariable-adjusted risk of incident/progressive LEAD increased by 7% (95% CI 1.02-1.11). Similar results were found in the association between TIR and incident LEAD as the secondary outcome (P for trend < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

The current study found an inverse association of TIR with the risk of LEAD among patients with type 2 diabetes.

Circulating Growth Differentiation Factor 15 Is Associated with Diabetic Neuropathy

Background: Growth differentiation factor (GDF15) is a superfamily of transforming growth factor-beta which has been suggested to be correlated with various pathological conditions. The current study aimed to investigate the predicted role of circulating GDF15 in diabetic metabolism characteristics and diabetic neuropathy. Methods: 241 diabetic patients and 42 non-diabetic subjects were included to participate in the study. The plasma GDF15 levels were measured using ELISA. Chronic kidney disease and albuminuria were defined according to the Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) guideline. The nerve conductive study (NCS) was performed with measurement of distal latency, amplitude, nerve conduction velocity (NCV), H-reflex, and F-wave studies. Results: The diabetic group had a significantly higher prevalence of chronic kidney disease and higher plasma GDF15 level. After adjusting for age and BMI, GDF15 was significantly positively correlated with waist circumference (r = 0.332, p = <0.001), hip circumference (r = 0.339, p < 0.001), HbA1c (r = 0.302, p < 0.001), serum creatine (r = 0.146, p = 0.017), urine albumin/creatinine ratio (r = 0.126, p = 0.040), and HOMA-IR (r = 0.166, p = 0.007). As to NCS, GDF15 was significantly correlated with all latency and amplitude of sensory and motor nerves, as well as F-wave and H-reflex latencies. The area under the curve (AUC) in predicting tibial motor nerve neuropathy (MNCV) in all subjects and in the diabetic group for GDF15 was 0.646 (p = 0.001) and 0.610 (p = 0.012), respectively; for HbA1c was 0.639 (p = 0.001) and 0.604 (p = 0.018), respectively. Predicting ulnar sensory nerve neuropathy for GDF15 was 0.639 (p = 0.001) and 0.658 (p = 0.001), respectively; for HbA1c was 0.545 (p = 0.307) and 0.545 (p = 0.335), respectively. Predicting median sensory nerve neuropathy for GDF15 was 0.633 (p = 0.007) and 0.611 (p = 0.032), respectively; for HbA1c was 0.631 (p = 0.008) and 0.607 (p = 0.038), respectively. Predicting CKD for GDF15 was 0.709 (95% CI, 0.648−0.771), p < 0.001) and 0.676 (95% CI, 0.605−0.746), p < 0.001), respectively; for HbA1c was 0.560 (95% CI, 0.493−0.627); p = 0.080) and 0.515 (95% CI, 0.441−0.588); p = 0.697), respectively. Conclusions: We suggest that there is a significant association between the increased serum GDF-15 level and metabolic parameters and diabetic neuropathy. Plasma GDF15 may be an independent predictor of diabetic neuropathy.

GDF‐15 is associated with atherosclerosis in adults with transfusion‐dependent beta‐thalassemia

Objectives: To study serum growth differentiation factor‐15 (GDF‐15) serum level in β‐thalassemia patients and its relation to carotid intima‐media thickness.

Background: Thalassemia is a common genetic disease resulting in decreased beta‐chains, leading to manifested anemia. It may be subsequently complicated by iron overload, which induces numerous morbidities and even death. Growth differentiation factor‐15 (GDF‐15) is a strong and independent predictor of mortality and disease progression in patients with atherosclerosis alongside with carotid‐intimal media thickness (CIMT).

Patients and methods: This monocentric case‐control study was done on 90 subjects in the period from January 2020 to March 2021. Sixty transfusion‐dependent beta‐thalassemia (TDβT) cases (≥18 years) were selected from the thalassemia clinic of Hematology division at Menoufia University hospitals. We included also 30 sex and age matched healthy as the controls. Routine investigations were done beside. Serum GDF‐15 was measured by ELISA. CIMT was measured by Doppler Ultrasonography.

Results: CIMT on both sides was statistically significant higher in cases (median of 0.08 cm) than in the controls (median of 0.04). GDF‐15 was also significantly higher in cases (median of 1839.89 pg/dl) than in controls (median of 256.14 pg/dl). So, we found that GDF‐15 is a predictor of and associated with atherosclerosis in thalassemic adults (OR = 39.198, p value 0.008, 95% CI: 2.576–596.5).

Conclusion: GDF‐ 15 is increased in TDβT. CIMT (as a marker of subclinical atherosclerosis) is increased in these patients alongside with GDF‐15, is a predictor, and associated with atherosclerosis in thalassemic adults.

Cadmium exposure and growth differentiation factor-15 (GDF-15) levels in non-smoking older adults

BACKGROUND

Cadmium (Cd) exposure is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD); however, understanding the effects of Cd at the cellular level remains incomplete. Since growth differentiation factor-15 (GDF-15) is a cytokine produced in many cell types in response to tissue injury and inflammation that may capture several pathways between Cd and CVD, this study examined the relationship between blood Cd levels and serum GDF-15 concentrations in community-dwelling older adults.

METHODS

Cd and GDF-15 were measured in 1942 non-smoking individuals aged 65+ with no previous history of CVD. The association of Cd with GDF-15 was evaluated in linear regression models that adjusted for sociodemographic, lifestyle and biological risk factors, inflammatory biomarkers (IL-6, C-reactive protein and neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio), and markers of vascular damage (NTproBNP and cTnT-hs).

RESULTS

Geometric mean Cd exposure was 0.11 μg/L (0.09 in never- and 0.15 in former-smokers) and geometric mean GDF-15 was 1186.21 pg/mL (1182.67 in never- and 1191.66 in former-smokers). In multivariable analyses, we found a dose-response association between Cd levels and GDF-15: adjusted mean percentage differences in GDF-15 (95% confidence interval) per 2-fold increase in Cd concentrations in the overall non-smoking population and in never smokers were, respectively, 2.54% (1.01, 4.06) and 2.50% (0.47, 4.54). In spline regression, the dose-response relationship was progressive over the range of Cd concentrations with no significant departures from linearity.

CONCLUSIONS

Cd exposure may be related to enhanced GDF-15 expression. Future studies with repeated GDF-15 measurements should confirm the present findings to better understand the biological mechanisms underlying this association.

Characterization of atherosclerotic plaques in blood vessels with low oxygenated blood and blood pressure (Pulmonary trunk): role of growth differentiation factor-15 (GDF-15)

BACKGROUND

Growth differentiation factor (GDF)-15 is linked to inflammation, cancer, and atherosclerosis. GDF-15 is expressed in most tissues but is extremely induced under pathological conditions. Elevated serum levels are suggested as a risk factor and a marker for cardiovascular diseases. However, the cellular sources and the effects of GDF-15 on the cardiovascular system have not been completely elucidated including progression, and morphology of atherosclerotic plaques. Thus, this work aimed to characterize the influence of GDF-15 deficiency on the morphology of atherosclerotic plaques in blood vessels with low-oxygen blood and low blood pressure as the pulmonary trunk (PT), in hypercholesterolemic ApoE-/- mice.

METHODS

GDF-15-/- ApoE-/- mice were generated by crossbreeding of ApoE-/-- and GDF-15-/- mice. After feeding a cholesterol-enriched diet (CED) for 20 weeks, samples of the brachiocephalic trunk (BT) and PT were dissected and lumen stenosis (LS) was measured. Furthermore, changes in the cellularity of the PT, amounts of apoptosis-, autophagy-, inflammation- and proliferation-relevant proteins were immunohisto-morphometrically analyzed. Additionally, we examined an atherosclerotic plaque in a human post mortem sample of the pulmonary artery.

RESULTS

After CED the body weight of GDF-15-/-ApoE-/- was 22.9% higher than ApoE-/-. Double knockout mice showed also an 35.3% increase of plasma triglyceride levels, whereas plasma cholesterol was similar in both genotypes. LS in the BT and PT of GDF-15-/-ApoE-/- mice was significantly reduced by 19.0% and by 6.7% compared to ApoE-/-. Comparing LS in PT and BT of the same genotype revealed a significant 38.8% (ApoE-/-) or 26.4% (GDF-15-/-ApoE-/-) lower LS in the PT. Immunohistomorphometry of atherosclerotic lesions in PT of GDF-15-/-ApoE-/- revealed significantly increased levels (39.8% and 7.3%) of CD68 + macrophages (MΦ) and α-actin + smooth muscle cells than in ApoE-/-. The density of TUNEL + , apoptotic cells was significantly (32.9%) higher in plaques of PT of GDF-15-/-ApoE-/- than in ApoE-/-. Analysis of atherosclerotic lesion of a human pulmonary artery showed sm-α-actin, CD68+, TUNEL+, Ki67+, and APG5L/ATG+ cells as observed in PT. COX-2+ and IL-6+ immunoreactivities were predominantly located in endothelial cells and subendothelial space. In BT and PT of GDF15-/-ApoE-/- mice the necrotic area was 10% and 6.5% lower than in ApoE-/-. In BT and PT of GDF15-/-ApoE-/- we found 40% and 57% less unstable plaques than ApoE-/- mice.

CONCLUSIONS

Atherosclerotic lesions occur in both, BT and PT, however, the size is smaller in PT, possibly due to the effect of the low-oxygen blood and/or lower blood pressure. GDF-15 is involved in atherosclerotic processes in BT and PT, although different mechanisms (e.g. apoptosis) in these two vessels seem to exist.

Pathophysiological role of growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF15) in obesity, cancer, and cachexia

Growth differentiation factor 15 or macrophage inhibitory cytokine-1 (GDF15/MIC-1) is a divergent member of the transforming growth factor β superfamily and has a diverse pathophysiological roles in cancers, cardiometabolic disorders, and other diseases. GDF15 controls hematopoietic growth, energy homeostasis, adipose tissue metabolism, body growth, bone remodeling, and response to stress signals. The role of GDF15 in cancer development and progression is complicated and depends on the specific cancer type, stage, and tumor microenvironment. Recently, research on GDF15 and GDF15-associated signaling has accelerated due to the identification of the GDF15 receptor: glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) family receptor α-like (GFRAL). Therapeutic interventions to target GDF15 and/or GFRAL revealed the mechanisms that drive its activity and might improve overall outcomes of patients with metabolic disorders and cancer. This review highlights the structure and functions of GDF15 and its receptor, emphasizing the pleiotropic role of GDF15 in obesity, tumorigenesis, metastasis, immunomodulation, and cachexia.

Association of Advanced Glycation End Products With Lower-Extremity Atherosclerotic Disease in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Aims: Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) were reported to be correlated with the development of diabetes, as well as diabetic vascular complications. Therefore, this study aimed at investigating the association between AGEs and lower-extremity atherosclerotic disease (LEAD). Methods: A total of 1,013 type 2 diabetes patients were enrolled. LEAD was measured through color Doppler ultrasonography. The non-invasive skin autofluorescence method was performed for AGEs measurement. Considering that age plays an important role in both AGEs and LEAD, age-combined AGEs, i.e., AGE_age index (define as AGEs × age/100) was used for related analysis. Results: The overall prevalence of LEAD was 48.9% (495/1,013). Patients with LEAD showed a significantly higher AGE_age (p < 0.001), and the prevalence of LEAD increased with ascending AGE_age levels (p for trend < 0.001). Logistic regression analysis revealed that AGE_age was significantly positively associated with risk of LEAD, and the odds ratios of presence of LEAD across quartiles of AGE_age were 1.00, 1.72 [95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.14-2.61], 2.72 (95% CI = 1.76-4.22), 4.29 (95% CI = 2.69-6.85) for multivariable-adjusted model (both p for trend < 0.001), respectively. The results were similar among patients of different sexes, body mass index, and with or without diabetes family history. Further, AGE_age presented a better predictive value for LEAD than glycated hemoglobin A_1c (HbA_1c), with its sensitivity, specificity, and area under the curve of 75.5% (95% CI = 71.6-79.2%), 59.3% (95% CI = 54.9-63.6%), and 0.731 (0.703-0.758), respectively. Conclusion: AGE_age, the non-invasive measured skin AGEs combined with age, seems to be a more promising approach than HbA_1c in identifying patient at high risk of LEAD.

Association between visit-to-visit variability of glycated albumin and diabetic retinopathy among patients with type 2 diabetes - A prospective cohort study

AIM

There is a paucity of studies regarding the association between long-term glycemic variability with the risk of diabetic retinopathy (DR) in patients with type 2 diabetes. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to explore the association of glycated albumin (GA) variability and HbA1c variability with the risk of DR in patients with type 2 diabetes.

METHODS

This prospective cohort study included 315 inpatients with type 2 diabetes (191 males and 124 females) with at least 3 measurements of GA and HbA1c within 2years prior to the baseline investigation. Different GA and HbA1c variability markers were calculated, including CV, variability independent of the mean (VIM), and the average real variability (ARV). Cox proportional hazard regression models were used to explore the association between visit-to-visit variability of GA and HbA1c and the risk of DR.

RESULTS

After an average follow-up of 3.42years, 81 patients developed incident DR. Multivariable-adjusted (diabetes duration, smoking status, systolic blood pressure, albumin to creatinine ratio, triglycerides, using fibrates, and mean HbA1c) hazard ratios of DR associated with each unit increase in GA-CV, GA-VIM, and GA-ARV were 1.05 (95% CI 1.02-1.09), 1.69 (95% CI 1.24-2.32), and 1.13 (95%CI 1.04-1.23), respectively. However, there was no significant association between visit-to-visit HbA1c variability and the risk of DR.

CONCLUSIONS

The present study indicated that visit-to-visit variability of GA can predict the risk of incident DR in patients with type 2 diabetes, and the prediction ability is independent of the average HbA1c levels.

Serum metabolic signatures of subclinical atherosclerosis in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: a preliminary study

AIMS

Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death among patients with diabetes. Early identification of subclinical atherosclerosis is essential for the management of diabetic patients. This study aimed to characterize serum metabolic signatures associated with carotid intima-media thickness (C-IMT), a proxy of subclinical atherosclerosis, in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).

METHODS

After 1:1 matching by sex, age, body mass index, glycated haemoglobin A_1c, and other clinical parameters, a total of 462 T2DM patients were enrolled, consisting of 231 patients with C-IMT of ≥ 1 mm (abnormal C-IMT) and 231 patients with C-IMT of < 1 mm (normal C-IMT). C-IMT was assessed using ultrasonography. The serum metabolic profiling of fasting blood samples was performed using liquid chromatography-tandem triple quadrupole mass spectrometer coupled with the multivariate and univariate statistical analysis.

RESULTS

Patients with abnormal C-IMT had significantly higher deoxycholic acid (DCA) and taurodeoxycholic acid (TDCA) levels, and lower levels of taurocholic acid (TCA) than those with normal C-IMT. Conditional logistic regression analysis revealed that per 1-standard deviation increase of DCA, TDCA and TCA were significantly associated with 64.7% (95% CI: 1.234-2.196) and 38.5% (95% CI: 1.124-1.706) higher, and 26.8% (95% CI: 0.597-0.897) lower risk of abnormal C-IMT, after adjustment of confounders. The addition of DCA, TCA, or DCA × TDCA/TCA ratio significantly improved the discrimination of abnormal C-IMT over traditional risk factors.

CONCLUSIONS

Serum bile acids may be potential biomarkers for subclinical atherosclerosis in T2DM patients, which needs further confirmation.

Serum Legumain Is Associated with Peripheral Artery Disease in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes

BACKGROUND

Legumain is related to carotid atherosclerotic plaques and may be a new biomarker of carotid atherosclerosis. However, the association between legumain and peripheral artery disease (PAD) of lower extremity has been less studied. This study is aimed at exploring the potential link between legumain and PAD in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted on 483 hospitalized T2DM patients. The serum legumain level was measured by a sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. PAD was evaluated by color Doppler sonography. The association between legumain and PAD was tested by logistic regression. The predictive power of legumain for PAD was evaluated with the receiver-operating-characteristic (ROC) curve.

RESULTS

Overall, 201 (41.6%) patients suffered from PAD. Patients with PAD had significantly higher serum legumain level than those without PAD [11.9 (6.3, 17.9) μg/L vs. 7.6 (3.2, 14.2) μg/L, p < 0.001]. Logistic regression showed that a higher serum legumain level was independently associated with a greater risk of PAD in T2DM patients [adjusted odds ratio (aOR): 1.03; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.01-1.06]. The area under the ROC curve was 0.634 (95% CI, 0.585 to 0.684).

CONCLUSION

High serum legumain level was significantly correlated with an increased risk of PAD in T2DM patients.

Visit-to-visit variability of glycated albumin was associated with incidence or progression of lower extremity atherosclerotic disease

BACKGROUND

The aim of this study was to investigate the association of visit-to-visit variability of hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) and glycated albumin (GA) with the risk of lower extremity atherosclerotic disease (LEAD).

METHOD

We performed a prospective cohort study of 436 patients with type 2 diabetes (258 men and 178 women) with at least 3 measurements of HbA1c and GA prior to baseline investigation from the Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Shanghai Sixth People's Hospital. Different HbA1c and GA variability markers were calculated. Multivariable Cox proportional hazard regression models were used to demonstrate the association between visit-to-visit HbA1c and GA variability and the risk of incident or progressive LEAD.

RESULTS

During a mean follow-up period of 3.77 years, 112 participants developed LEAD. Multivariate-adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) of LEAD across tertiles of GA-CV values were 1.00, 1.06 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.65-1.75), and 1.71 (95% CI 1.07-2.73) (P for trend = 0.042), respectively. When we used GA-VIM and GA-ARV values as exposures, similar positive associations with the risk of LEAD primary were found. Multivariate-adjusted HRs of LEAD for each 1 unit increase in GA-CV, GA-VIM and GA-ARV were 1.03 (95% CI 1.01-1.06), 1.32 (95% CI 1.03-1.69), and 1.07 (95%CI 1.01-1.15), respectively. However, there was no significant association between visit-to-visit variability of HbA1c and the risk of LEAD.

CONCLUSIONS

Visit-to-visit variability of GA may be an optimal biomarker in relation to LEAD risk among patients with type 2 diabetes.

Association of serum Cyr61 levels with peripheral arterial disease in subjects with type 2 diabetes

Background

The prevalence of peripheral artery disease (PAD) is obviously increased in patients with diabetes. Existing evidence shows that cysteine-rich angiogenic inducer 61 (Cyr61), a 40-kD secreted protein, plays important roles in regulating cellular physiological processes. Recent studies have demonstrated a significant correlation between serum Cyr61 and atherosclerosis. However, the relationship between Cyr61 levels and PAD in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) remains obscure.

Methods

Data from a total of 306 subjects with T2DM were cross-sectionally analysed. The extent of PAD was determined by using the Fontaine classification, which defines four stages. We measured serum Cyr61 concentrations by ELISA in subjects with and without PAD at Fontaine’s stage II, III, or IV. Logistic regression models were used to examine the independent association of Cyr61 with PAD.

Results

Out of the 306 subjects enrolled, 150 were free from PAD, while 156 had clinically significant PAD. In subjects with PAD, the prevalences of Fontaine classification stages II, III and IV were 48.7%, 32.1%, and 19.2%, respectively. Patients with more advanced PAD had significantly higher Cyr61 (P for trend < 0.001). The prevalence of PAD on the basis of severity increased with increasing Cyr61 quartiles (all P values for trends < 0.001), and the severity of PAD was positively correlated with Cyr61 quartiles (r = 0.227, P = 0.006). The association of Cyr61 levels with PAD remained after adjusting for major risk factors in a logistic regression analysis.

Conclusions

Our results demonstrated that Cyr61 was significantly increased in PAD patients with T2DM and that Cyr61 levels were positively associated with disease severity. Cyr61 could be a promising biomarker and further studies are needed to assess its clinical utility.

GDF-15 as a Weight Watcher for Diabetic and Non-Diabetic People Treated With Metformin

Weight gain and obesity are global health concerns contributing to morbidity with increased risks of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, liver steatohepatitis and cancer. Pharmacological therapies or bariatric surgery are often required for those who fail to adhere to diet and lifestyle modifications. Metformin, a widely used antidiabetic agent, seems to have a health benefit beyond its anti-hyperglycemic properties, with few side effects. Emerging evidence shows weight loss to be associated with metformin in both diabetic and non-diabetic individuals. Recently, the growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF-15), a member of the transforming growth factor beta superfamily, has been identified as a key mediator of metformin-induced weight loss. Metformin increases the secretion of GDF-15, which binds exclusively to glial cell-derived neurotrophic factor family receptor alpha-like (GFRAL). This gut-brain cytokine works as a prominent player in reducing food intake and body weight in health and disease, like anorexia nervosa and cancer. Herein, we critically review advances in the understanding of the weight-reducing effects of metformin via the GDF-15 pathway.