Evaluation of the Circulating Betatrophin Concentration and its Possible Correlations Among Diabetic Patients with Dyslipidemia

Objective: The circulating betatrophin levels in diabetic patients, treated with insulin or with oral hypoglycemic agents, were measured. The correlation between betatrophin levels and the glucose/lipid variables was also analyzed. Material and Methods: Thirty-six diabetic patients (18 insulin-treated and 18 oral hypoglycemics-treated) and 16 age-and sex-matched non-diabetic controls were enrolled. The serum levels of betatrophin, glucose, and lipids were measured. Results: The serum betatrophin levels were significantly lower in both the insulin-treated and oral hypoglycemics-treated diabetics compared to the controls (32.8 +/- 3.6 and 48.4 +/- 5.2 vs. 54.4 +/- 3.7, respectively, p<0.001). Pearson's bivariate correlation analysis showed that betatrophin was positively correlated with total cholesterol (r=0.303, p=0.029), LDL-cholesterol (r=0.339, p=0.014) and triglyceride (r=0.562, p=0.015) levels. Conclusion: The circulating betatrophin levels were reduced in diabetic patients compared to the non-diabetic controls, and positively correlated with lipid parameters but not with glucose levels.