Objective: The binding of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) to their receptor (RAGE) plays an important role in the development of diabetic vascular complications. In the present study, we examined circulating endogenous secretory RAGE (esRAGE) levels in subjects with type 1 diabetes and explored the possible association between esRAGE levels and the severity of diabetic vascular complications.
Research design and methods: Circulating esRAGE levels in serum were examined in 67 Japanese type 1 diabetic patients (22 men and 45 women, age 24.0 +/- 4.4 years [means +/- SD]) and 23 age-matched healthy nondiabetic subjects (10 men and 13 women aged 24.9 +/- 1.4 years). Daily urinary albumin excretion, the presence of retinopathy, and intima-media thickness (IMT) of the carotid artery were also evaluated. We further explored the association between esRAGE levels and severity of diabetic vascular complications.
Results: Circulating esRAGE levels were significantly lower in subjects with type 1 diabetes than in nondiabetic subjects (0.266 +/- 0.089 vs. 0.436 +/- 0.121 ng/ml, respectively, P < 0.0001) and was inversely correlated with HbA(1c) (A1C) levels (r = -0.614, P < 0.0001). In addition, multivariate regression analysis demonstrated that A1C was an independent risk factor for a low esRAGE value. Furthermore, circulating esRAGE levels were inversely correlated with carotid IMT (r = -0.325, P = 0.0017) and was one of the independent risk factors for IMT thickening. Furthermore, there was a significant difference (P = 0.0124) in esRAGE levels between patients without retinopathy (0.286 +/- 0.092 ng/ml) and those with retinopathy (0.230 +/- 0.074 ng/ml).
Conclusions: Circulating esRAGE levels were significantly lower in type 1 diabetic patients than in nondiabetic subjects and were inversely associated with the severity of some diabetic vascular complications.