Conclusions
The data suggested that KL protein was probably a potential protective factor against retinopathy in type 2 diabetes patients.
Methods
A total of 17 healthy people and 60 type 2 diabetes patients were included. According to the
Results
Serum KL level was lower in diabetes patients than that in healthy participants (P = 0.007), and was gradually decreased among the without DR, non-proliferative DR and proliferative DR subgroups (P = 0.045). A logistic regression analysis showed that after adjusting for the other confounding factors, serum KL level was independently and negatively related with DR (P = 0.049). Furthermore, the increased apoptosis rates induced by PA were inhibited with the addition of KL protein. Consistently, KL protein reversed the expression levels of the increased pro-apoptotic protein Bax and the decreased anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2 induced by PA. However, the anti-apoptotic effect of KL protein was attenuated by LY294002 through the phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase-serine∕threonine kinase pathway. Conclusions: The data suggested that KL protein was probably a potential protective factor against retinopathy in type 2 diabetes patients.