title: Up-regulation of the receptor for advanced glycation end products in the skin biopsy specimens of patients with severe diabetic neuropathy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) may contribute to the development of diabetic neuropathy. To assess its relevance in humans, this study examined the expression of RAGE in the skin biopsy samples of patients with diabetes mellitus, and investigated its correlation with intraepidermal nerve-fiber density (IENFD) and clinical measures of neuropathy severity.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty-four patients who either had type 2 diabetes or were prediabetes underwent clinical evaluation and a 3-mm skin punch biopsy. The clinical severity of their neuropathy was assessed using the Michigan Diabetic Neuropathy Score. IENFD was measured along with immunohistochemical staining for RAGE in 29 skin biopsy samples. The expression of RAGE was also quantified by real-time reverse-transcription PCR in the remaining 15 patients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  RAGE was localized mostly in the dermal and subcutaneous vascular endothelia. The staining was more intense in patients with a lower IENFD (p=0.004). The quantity of RAGE mRNA was significantly higher in patients with severe neuropathy than in those with no or mild neuropathy (p=0.003). The up-regulation of RAGE was related to dyslipidemia and diabetic nephropathy. There was a trend toward decreased sural nerve action-potential amplitude and slowed peroneal motor-nerve conduction with increasing RAGE expression.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The findings of this study demonstrate up-regulation of RAGE in skin biopsy samples from patients with diabetic neuropathy, supporting a pathogenic role of RAGE in the development of diabetic neuropathy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Korea Cancer Center Hospital, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Su-Yeon
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Seoul Metropolitan Government Boramae Medical Center, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Young-A
authors.initials: YA
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Seoul Metropolitan Government Boramae Medical Center, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Yoon-Ho
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Hong
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Seoul Metropolitan Government Boramae Medical Center, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Min-Kyong
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Moon
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Seoul Metropolitan Government Boramae Medical Center, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Bo-Kyeong
authors.initials: BK
authors.lastname: Koo
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Seoul Metropolitan Government Boramae Medical Center, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Tae Wan
authors.initials: TW
authors.lastname: Kim
keywords: diabetes mellitus; diabetic neuropathy; receptor for advanced glycation end products