Study of Serum Milk Fat Globule-epidermal Growth Factor 8 (MFG-E8) in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Background: Milk Fat Globule-Epidermal Growth Factor 8 (MFG-E8) has been shown to be involved in various biological functions including the phagocytic clearance of apoptotic cells, neovascularization and epithelial restitution. Recently, emerging studies have reported that MFG-E8 plays a role in inflammatory responses and inflammatory/autoimmune diseases. The aim of the present study was to investigate the role of serum MFG-E8 in early diagnosis of microvascular complications in type 2 diabetic (T2D) patients.

Methods: The study included 80 patients with T2D; they were divided in to 4 groups depending on the value of clinical and laboratory parameters. Group A: included 20 patients free of any vascular complications. Group B: included 20 patients with subclinical atherosclerosis. Group C: included 20 patients with early microvascular complications without subclinical atherosclerosis. Group D: included 20 patients with both subclinical atherosclerosis and early microvascular complications. Serum (MFG-E8) was measured by ELISA technique.

Results: There was a significant decrease in the mean value of serum MFG-E8 concentrations in groups C (T2D with early microvascular complications) and D (T2D with both early microvascular complications and subclinical atherosclerosis) when compared to those in groups A (T2D without any vascular complications) and B (T2D with subclinical atherosclerosis only). It negatively correlated with age, fasting and postprandial glucose level, HbA1C, urinary albumin excretion rate, hs-CRP and positively correlated with HDL-C while didn't correlate with body mass index, triglycerides, cholesterol, LDL-C or carotid intima media thickness.

Conclusions: Serum MFG-E8 may be used as an early diagnostic marker of microvascular complications in T2D. MFG-E8 seemed not to be a sensitive biomarker for early diagnosis of subclinical atherosclerosis in T2DM.