Association of Serum Chemerin With Albuminuria in Patients With Diabetic Nephropathy: A Case-Control Study

Abstract

Background: Chemerin, an adipokine that links metabolic regulation with inflammation, has been put forward as a candidate biomarker for diabetic kidney disease.

Objective: Measuring serum chemerin levels among diabetic patients, comparing those with and without nephropathy and examining how these levels correspond with albuminuria and other measures of kidney function.

Subjects and Methods: A total of 180 adults from Duhok, Iraq, were recruited for this case-control design and divided evenly into three groups of 60: healthy controls, diabetics without nephropathy, and diabetics with nephropathy (DN). Chemerin concentrations measurement was done by using a sandwich ELISA kit, and renal function evaluation were done through three parameters: serum creatinine, estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), and urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio (ACR). The assessment of associations among these variables was done through multiple statistical analysis using SPSS software.

Results: Chemerin levels climbed progressively from one group to the next, with medians of 343.5 ng/mL among controls, 449.5 ng/mL in the diabetic-only group, and 518.0 ng/mL in the DN group (p < 0.001). Compared with the other two groups, patients with DN had the highest creatinine and ACR values along with the lowest eGFR (all p < 0.001). Within the DN group specifically, chemerin correlated positively with ACR (ρ = 0.306, p = 0.017), though no meaningful correlation emerged with creatinine, urea, eGFR, or HbA1c. ACR was the only variable to stand out in the multiple linear regression, independently predicting serum chemerin (β = 0.523, p < 0.001).

Conclusions: Serum chemerin is raised in DN and independently linked to albuminuria, which supports its possible role as a marker of renal involvement in diabetic kidney disease.