FABP1 as an Early Marker of Diabetic Nephropathy in Type 2 Diabetic Patients

Abstract

Background: The prevalence of diabetes mellitus, a worldwide burden, is expected to affect more than 350 million people by 2035, About one-third of diabetic patients have microalbuminuria after 15 years of disease duration, and nearly half of them develop real kidney disease, Early detection and intervention are essential in the prevention and treatment of diabetic nephropathy (DN). LFABP( u-LFABP) has been demonstrated to be a marker of tubular damage., Several studies have shown that u-LFABP could be a useful marker for the detection of early stage of DN. Aim: Assess if FABP1 is an early marker of diabetic nephropathy in type 2 diabetic patients.
Methods: This is a cross sectional study 120 diabetic patients (40 with norm albuminuria, 40 micro albuminuria and 40 macroalbuminuric was conducted at El-Kasr Aini Cairo University Hospital. The patients were recruited from the outpatient clinics of endocrinology and internal medicine. Detailed medical history, complete physical examination for type II diabetic patients aged (35-65) years old., Laboratory investigations including Fasting blood glucose, blood urea, serum creatinine, HbA1c and lipid profile for all participants. Estimated GFR will be measured by Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) equation, The relation between morning spot urine sample ACR and urinary FABP1 will be studied, also FABP1 urinary was correlated to (eGFR, HbA1c, lipid profile).
Results: Urinary L-FABP1 levels were elevated in the microalbuminuric and macroalbuminuric groups compared to the normoalbuminuric group, but this difference was not statistically significant. The highest concentration was noted in the microalbuminuric group.
Conclusion: urinary L-FABP1 may serve as a marker of tubular damage in diabetic nephropathy. However, its predictive and diagnostic value remains uncertain due to the lack of statistically significant differences observed in our study.. Larger-scale studies with longer follow-up periods may help clarify whether urinary L-FABP1 can be a reliable biomarker for DN progression in diabetic patients.