Implication of serum soluble IL-2 receptor α in type 2 diabetes mellitus

The aim of this study was to determine the association of serum soluble IL-2 receptor α (sIL-2RA) with T2DM-related characteristics and complications.

Serum sIL-2RA levels were determined in 156 T2DM patients, and the association with T2DM-related characteristics and complications was evaluated.

Serum sIL-2RA levels were significantly increased in T2DM patients with diabetic kidney disease (DKD) (median, IQR, 1434.9, 958.1–1896.0, pg/ml), in comparison with those without DKD (median, IQR, 851.2, 660.2-1089.9, pg/ml)(P < 0.001). The ROC analysis revealed good performance of sIL-2RA for identifying DKD, with the areas under the curve of 0.789 (95%CI of 0.711–0.867, P < 0.001). The correlation analyses showed significantly positive correlations of serum sIL-2RA with urea (r = 0.458, P < 0.001), creatinine (r = 0.508, P < 0.001) and uACR (r = 0.469, P < 0.001), and negative correlation with eGFR (r=-0.561, P < 0.001). The multivariate analyses showed that serum sIL-2RA was independently associated with the increased risks of DKD (OR, 95%CI, 6.539, 1.401–30.529, P = 0.017) and DR (OR, 95%CI, 3.606, 1.073–12.114, P = 0.038). Additionally, serum sIL-2RA was significantly associated with inflammatory indicators in DKD patients, and with metablic indicators in non-DKD patients (all P < 0.05).

Serum sIL-2RA may be closely associated with inflammation, glucose and lipid metabolisms, DKD and DR risks in T2DM. Furthermore, it may be a potential biomarker for T2DM-related micro-vascular complications.