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Increased circulating myostatin in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus

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Summary

The changes of plasma myostatin levels in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) and their clinical correlation were investigated. We recruited 43 T2D patients and 20 age-matched healthy subjects. Plasma myostatin, lipid and glucose, and serum insulin were determined. T2D patients showed significantly higher fasting plasma glucose (FPG), serum insulin and triglyceride levels, and lower high-density lipoprotein levels than normal control subjects (P<0.01). Mean plasma myostatin level in T2D patients and health controls was (66.5±17.8) and (46.2±13.8) ng/mL, respectively. An unpaired t test showed that the increase of myostatin in the T2D patients was significant (P<0.001). In both healthy control and T2D groups, the female subjects showed higher myostatin levels than the male subjects. In the T2D patients, plasma level of myostatin was negatively correlated with body mass index (BMI, r=−0.42, P<0.01) and FPG (r=−0.51, P〈0.01), but positively correlated with insulin resistance index (HOMA-IR, r=0.48, P<0.01). Up-regulation of plasma myostatin in the T2D patients and its correlation with BMI, FPG and blood insulin sensitivity suggests that plasma myostatin may be implicated in the pathogenesis of T2D and thus presented as a therapeutic target for treating the disease. Furthermore, circulating myostatin levels may be used as a biomarker for the disease.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Internal Medicine, Shenzhen Maternity and Child Healthcare Hospital, Southern Medical University, Shenzhen, 518028, China

    Fang Wang  (王 芳)

  2. Department of Endocrinology, Renmin Hospital, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, 442000, China

    Yonggan Liao  (廖勇敢) & Changming Cheng  (程长明)

  3. Department of Endocrinology, Taihe Hospital, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, 442000, China

    Xuefeng Li  (李雪锋)

  4. Department of Electrocardiography, Dongfeng General Hospital, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, 442000, China

    Chunlin Ren  (任春林)

  5. Department of Physiology, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, 442000, China

    Yongsheng Ren  (任永生)

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  1. Fang Wang  (王 芳)
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  2. Yonggan Liao  (廖勇敢)
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  3. Xuefeng Li  (李雪锋)
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  4. Chunlin Ren  (任春林)
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  5. Changming Cheng  (程长明)
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  6. Yongsheng Ren  (任永生)
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Yongsheng Ren  (任永生).

Additional information

The authors contributed equally to this work.

This project was supported by grants from the Educational Bureau of Hubei, China (No. Q20092403, and No. B20082405).

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Wang, F., Liao, Y., Li, X. et al. Increased circulating myostatin in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. J. Huazhong Univ. Sci. Technol. [Med. Sci.] 32, 534–539 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11596-012-0092-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11596-012-0092-9

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