title: Relationship between urinary neopterin excretion and islet cell antibodies in type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetes.
abstract: Neopterin is specifically produced by interferon-activated macrophages, and it may be considered a marker of cellular immunity. In 40 newly diagnosed and 38 longer standing type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetics the relationship between urinary neopterin levels and islet cell antibodies (ICA) was investigated. Raised urinary neopterin levels were found in 30 ICA positive (mean +/- SD: 729.8 +/- 602.1 mumol/mol creatinine, p = 0.0001) and 10 ICA negative (433.4 +/- 191.2 mumol/mol creatinine, p = 0.0005) diabetics at onset of disease compared with age-matched control subjects (118.1 +/- 33.2 mumol/mol creatinine). No significant difference in urinary neopterin levels was observed between diabetic groups. After the first stages of disease (greater than 5 months from onset), a significant difference (p = 0.0002) in urinary neopterin excretion was found between longer standing ICA positive patients and controls, but not between ICA negative diabetics and controls. In longer standing diabetics, neopterin levels were significantly higher in ICA positive patients than in ICA negative patients (544.6 +/- 341.3 versus 201.7 +/- 180 mumol/mol creatinine, p = 0.0002). No correlation between newly diagnosed or longer standing patients and HbA1c levels was found. Our results suggest that increased neopterin excretion in type 1 diabetes seems to be a sensitive indicator for the activation of cell-mediated immunity even when ICA are undetectable.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Catholic University, Troina, Italy.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Manna
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Salvatore
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Di Leo
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Scuderi
authors.forename: A V
authors.initials: AV
authors.lastname: Greco
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ghirlanda
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gambassi
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000032:analysis*; D001708:Biopterins / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000652:urine; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000276:immunology / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000652:urine; D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D007515:Islets of Langerhans / Q000276:immunology*; D019798:Neopterin; D011336:Probability; D012016:Reference Values; D012044:Regression Analysis; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D001323:Autoantibodies; D001708:Biopterins; D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin; D019798:Neopterin; C024211:islet cell antibody