Extracellular status of thrombospondin-2 in type 2 diabetes mellitus and utility as a biomarker in the determination of early diabetic kidney disease.

Objective: Thrombospondin-2 (TSP-2) is a multifunctional matricellular glycoprotein correlated with glucose homeostasis, insulin sensitivity, and estimated glomerular filtration rate. Investigation of the association of TSP-2 with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and the potential diagnostic value of serum TSP-2 for detecting early diabetic kidney disease (DKD) is needed.

Research Design And Methods: An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used for detection serum TSP-2 levels in 494 Chinese T2DM subjects.