Soluble Endoglin Level Increase Occurs Prior to Development of Subclinical Structural Vascular Alterations in Diabetic Adolescents.
OBJECTIVE
Soluble endoglin (S-endoglin) has been implicated as a potential marker of endothelial dysfunction (ED) and was reported to be elevated in diabetic adults, correlating with the severity of diabetic vasculopathy. However, circulating S-endoglin and its association with other markers of ED have not been formerly analyzed in the first decade of diabetes onset in adolescents with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM).


METHODS
Fifty-eight adolescents with moderately/poorly controlled T1DM were included in this study and twenty-nine healthy adolescents served as controls. The diabetic group was divided into two groups based on the presence of microalbuminuria, as the microalbuminuria group (n=15) and the normoalbuminuria group (n=43). Functional vascular alterations were evaluated by measuring serum S-endoglin and plasma nitric oxide (NO) concentrations, the flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) of the brachial artery. Carotid intima media thickness (CIMT) was measured for evaluation of structural vascular alterations.


RESULTS
The S-endoglin and NO levels of both microalbuminuria and normoalbuminuria groups were higher than those of the control group (for S-endoglin, p=0.047 and p<0.001; for NO, p=0.004 and p=0.006, respectively). The FMD percent was lower in the microalbuminuria group compared to the normoalbuminuria and control groups (p=0.036 and p=0.020, respectively). There were negative correlations between S-endoglin concentration and FMD percent (r=-0.213, p=0.051) and between serum S-endoglin concentration and albumin excretion rate (r=-0.361, p=0.005). No significant differences were found in CIMT among any of the groups (p=0.443).


CONCLUSIONS
In adolescents with T1DM, S-endoglin concentrations might increase in parallel to the deterioration in endothelial function before subclinical structural vascular alterations become evident.
Gazi University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Pediatric Endocrinology, Ankara, Turkey, Phone: +90 462 341 56 56/11572 E-mail: hcemeksiz@gmail.com.
Hamdi Cihan
HC
Emeksiz
Aysun
A
Bideci
Çağrı
Ç
Damar
Betül
B
Derinkuyu
Nurullah
N
Çelik
Esra
E
Döğer
Özge
Ö
Yüce
Mehmet Cüneyt
MC
Özmen
Mahmut Orhun
MO
Çamurdan
Peyami
P
Cinaz
D000293:Adolescent; D000419:Albuminuria / Q000150:complications; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity; D001916:Brachial Artery / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D059168:Carotid Intima-Media Thickness; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000150:complications*; D003925:Diabetic Angiopathies / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology; D004108:Dilatation, Pathologic; D000071063:Endoglin / Q000097:blood*; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000097:blood; D012995:Solubility
D015415:Biomarkers; D000071063:Endoglin; D009569:Nitric Oxide