Adiponectin Level Predicts HDL-Cholesterol Level in Type 2 Diabetes

Background: Atherosclerotic cardiovascular complications are the major causes of morbidity and mortality in Type 2 diabetic patients. Many studies have demonstrated that adiponectin has both anti-atherogenic and anti-diabetic properties. This study aims to examine the regulatory roles of serum adiponectin in a homogeneous Type 2 diabetic cohort. Method: Of a population of 1256 registered diabetic patients, 116 subjects (1) aged between 40 and 70 years, (2) from the Chinese population, (3) having had Type 2 diabetes for more than one year, and (4) having been taking gliclazide and metformin for more than 6 months were enrolled in the study. All subjects were assigned to one of the plasma adiponectin level categories according to the quartiles. The main outcome evaluated is the associations of plasma adiponectin level; which were evaluated using multiple linear regression analysis. Results: Adiponectin concentration was the only and main predictor of HDL-cholesterol level ( = 0.321, p = 0.002) after adjusting other factors for the homogeneous Type 2 diabetic subjects. Conclusion: These initial findings seem to denote a positive association between adiponectin concentration and HDLcholesterol level in Type 2 diabetes. Adiponectin concentration might be a valuable marker of artherosclerosis in Type 2 diabetic patients. Keyword: Type 2 diabetes, Adiponectin, HDL-cholesterol, Atherosclerosis. The risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease in Type 2 diabetic patients is two to four folds higher than that in nondiabetic ones [1]. Atherosclerotic cardiovascular complications are among the major causes of morbidity and mortality in Type 2 diabetic patients [2]. This increased risk might be attributed to hyperglycemia, dyslipidemia, and inflammatory mechanism [3,4]. Monitoring a valuable marker on atherosclerotic pathogenesis and insulin resistance are desired and beneficial to these patients. Some related studies have been reported [5]. Adiponectin is a hormone produced in adipocytes, and appears to play a very important role in the above pathway [6-13]. HDLcholesterol is known to have help prevent the development of atherosclerotic cardiovascular complications. We hypothesized that a strong association between adiponectin concentration and HDL-cholesterol level might exist in homogeneous Type 2 diabetic patients after adjusting the other factors. This study aims to examine the regulatory roles of serum adiponectin level in a homogeneous Type 2 diabetic cohort. METHOD Study Population The trial was conducted from July 2005 through June 2006 in Taipei Hospital, Taiwan County, Taiwan. A total of *Address correspondence to this author at the Institute of Public Health, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan, 155, Li-Nong St, Sec 2, Peitou, Taipei, Taiwan; Tel: 886-2-2826-7050; Fax: 886-2-28201461; E-mail: pschou@ym.edu. tw 1256 registered diabetic patients were screened, among which 136 met the inclusion /exclusion criteria (Table 1). A letter explaining the purpose of the study were sent to the 136 patients inviting their participation, and 116 accepted the invitation and were enrolled with informed consent. The protocol was approved by the Human Ethics Committee of Taipei Hospital. Table 1. Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria