Apelin-13 and Omentin-1 as biomarkers for estimation of severity of diabetic nephropathy in type-2 diabetes mellitus

Background & objective: Chronic diabetes affects millions of the people globally, leading to complications like micro-, and macro- vascular problems like neuropathy, and nephropathy. The adipokines Apelin-13 and Omentin-1 play beneficial functions in the early detection of diabetic nephropathy. We aimed to study and investigate the correlation between Apelin-13 and Omentin-1 levels and disease severity in diabetic nephropathy patients and evaluate their potential as biomarkers for early diagnosis. Methodology: A case-control study at Al-Sadar Teaching Hospital/Al-Najaf Center assessed 180 individuals, including 60 type 2 diabetics with nephropathy (T2DM+Neph group), 60 without nephropathy (T2DM group), and 60 healthy individuals as controls, to provide insights into managing type 2 diabetes. Results: The research found a notable decline in Omentin-1 (P < 0.001) in the T2DM+Neph group, followed by T2DM, and the highest value in the control group. There was a significant increase (P < 0.001) in the serum Apelin-13 in the patients' groups T2DM+Neph group and T2DM compared with the control group. There was no significant difference in the serum Apelin-13 between T2DM and T2DM+Neph groups Conclusion: Our study found a decline in Omentin-1 levels in diabetics with nephropathy patients compared to healthy controls, suggesting using serum Omentin-1 level measurement for early diagnosis and treatment of diabetic nephropathy.