Title : Diagnostic potential of Dp-ucMGP as a biomarker for early detection of diabetic kidney disease in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: A cross-sectional study
Abstract:
Aim: The limited evidence reports the relationship between plasma dephosphorylated uncarboxylated matrix Gla protein (dp-ucMGP) and Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) in patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM). Therefore, the present study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic potential of dp-ucMGP in DKD among T2DM patients.
Method: This cross-sectional study was conducted from December 2023 to January 2025, including 75 T2DM patients. Participants were classified into three groups based on urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR): Normoalbuminuria, microalbuminuria, and macroalbuminuria with n = 25 in each group. Pearson correlation analysis was performed to assess the relationship between dp-ucMGP and other biochemical parameters. Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used to evaluate the diagnostic potential of dp-ucMGP for early detection of DKD. A p value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.
Results: The plasma dp-ucMGP levels were significantly higher in T2DM patients in the macroalbuminuria group, with a mean of 1069.86 ± 417.56 pmol/L, followed by the microalbuminuria (842.72 ± 342.02 pmol/L) and normoalbuminuria (586.38 ± 336.15 pmol/L) groups. Similarly, higher dp-ucMGP levels were observed in patients with DKD severity stage IV (1401.53 ± 401.49 pmol/L). A negative correlation with eGFR (r = −0.807, p < 0.0001) and a positive correlation with age, serum creatinine, UACR, blood urea, uric acid and triglycerides were observed. The area under the curve (AUC) was 0.913 (95% CI: 0.820–0.960; p < 0.0001) for dp-ucMGP.
Conclusion: In conclusion, our findings revealed that plasma dp-ucMGP could be a potential biomarker to predict the early detection of DKD in patients with T2DM.
