Association Of sCD36 And Insulin Resistance In Type2 Diabetes Mellitus

Abstract

Background: In the world today, Type2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) has become an epidemic with a huge rise in the number of patients upto 462 million (1) and 77 million in India (2). Extensive research is being done to find a relationship between T2DM, obesity and various biomarkers. One of the biomarkers is soluble CD36 (sCD36), a multifunctional membrane receptor, which has been identified as a marker of T2DM.

Aim: To study the plasma level of soluble CD36 and its potential role in insulin resistance in Obese and Non Obese Type 2 DM patients.

Material and methods: This was a cross-sectional study on the patients of T2DM visiting the Medicine OPD in Sharda Hospital Greater Noida, U.P. 100 patients of T2DM - 50 obese and 50 non obese and 100 healthy volunteers - 50 obese and 50 nonobese were studied. Their BMI was calculated. The biochemical parameters measured were fasting blood glucose, insulin and sCD36. The insulin resistance was calculated by the Homeostatic Model Assessment-Insulin Resistance method (HOMA-IR).

Results: The values of fasting blood glucose, insulin, sCD36 and HOMA-IR were significantly raised in patients of T2DM as compared with controls. Also, when a comparison was made between obese and non-obese patients, these parameters were statistically significantly increased in obese T2DM compared with nonobese T2DM (p < 0 .001).

Conclusion: A statistically significant correlation is found between raised sCD36 levels and insulin resistance in patients of T2DM and more so in obese patients. The elevated levels of sCD36 in apparently healthy subjects may help to identify high risk subjects for T2DM. It can also serve as a target for implementing lifestyle and therapeutic interventions in high risk subjects and cases of T2DM.