Serum heat shock protein 27 and diabetes complications in the EURODIAB prospective complications study: a novel circulating marker for diabetic neuropathy.
OBJECTIVE
Heat shock protein 27 (HSP27) is a member of the small heat shock protein family of proteins. HSP27 expression is enhanced in target tissues of diabetic microvascular complications, and changes in circulating serum HSP27 levels (sHSP27) have been reported in patients with macrovascular disease. We investigated whether sHSP27 levels were associated with micro- and macrovascular complications in type 1 diabetic patients.


METHODS
A cross-sectional, nested, case-control study from the EURODIAB Prospective Complications Study of 531 type 1 diabetic patients was performed. Case subjects (n = 363) were defined as those with one or more complications of diabetes; control subjects (n = 168) were defined as those with no evidence of any complication. We measured sHSP27 levels and investigated their associations with diabetes complications.


RESULTS
Mean sHSP27 levels were significantly higher in case subjects with distal symmetrical polyneuropathy (DSP) than in control subjects, even after adjustment for age and albumin excretion rate (AER) (785.9 vs. 574.7 pg/ml, P = 0.03). In logistic regression analysis, sHSP27 levels in the upper quartile were associated with a twofold increased odds ratio (OR) of DSP, independently of conventional risk factors, markers of inflammation, and AER (OR 2.41 [95% CI 1.11-5.24]).


CONCLUSIONS
In this large cohort of type 1 diabetic subjects, we found an independent association between sHSP27 and DSP. This suggests that sHSP27 levels may be a novel marker for diabetic neuropathy.
Gruden
Gabriella
G
Department of Internal Medicine, University of Turin, Turin, Italy. gabriella.gruden@unito.it
Bruno
Graziella
G
Chaturvedi
Nish
N
Burt
Davina
D
Schalkwijk
Casper
C
Pinach
Silvia
S
Stehouwer
Coen D
CD
Witte
Daniel R
DR
Fuller
John H
JH
Perin
Paolo Cavallo
PC
D000328:Adult; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood*; D001794:Blood Pressure; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications*; D003925:Diabetic Angiopathies / Q000097:blood; D003928:Diabetic Nephropathies / Q000097:blood*; D003929:Diabetic Neuropathies / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D055551:HSP27 Heat-Shock Proteins; D006360:Heat-Shock Proteins / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018832:Molecular Chaperones; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000097:blood*
D015415:Biomarkers; D055551:HSP27 Heat-Shock Proteins; C057725:HSPB1 protein, human; D006360:Heat-Shock Proteins; D018832:Molecular Chaperones; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins