An Assessment of Serum Irisin and Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1 as Potential Indicators of Retinopathy in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

• Published in: The Nigerian postgraduate medical journal Vol. 32; no. 3; pp. 240 - 246
• Main Authors: Sherwin, Arokiaraj Anto Ricky, Jayashree, Kuppuswami, Senthilkumar, Gandhipuram Periyasamy, Thomas, Sherin Elizabeth, Babu, K. Ramesh
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: India Wolters Kluwer - Medknow 01.07.2025; Medknow Publications and Media Pvt. Ltd; Medknow Publications & Media Pvt. Ltd
• Edition: 2
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Biomarkers - blood; Care and treatment; Cell adhesion molecules; Cross-Sectional Studies; Development and progression; Diabetes; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 - blood; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 - complications; Diabetic retinopathy; Diabetic Retinopathy - blood; Diabetic Retinopathy - diagnosis; Diabetic Retinopathy - etiology; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; Female; Fibronectins - blood; Genetic aspects; Health aspects; Humans; India; Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1 - blood; Leukocytes; Male; Membrane proteins; Middle Aged; Original Article; ROC Curve; India; Diabetic retinopathy; irisin; insulin resistance; intercellular adhesion molecule-1
• ISSN: 1117-1936; 2468-6875
• DOI: 10.4103/npmj.npmj_127_25

Background: Diabetic retinopathy (DR) impairs retinal function and causes significant vision loss. Irisin has been recently implicated in the pathogenesis of DR. Intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) is a cell surface glycoprotein that primarily facilitates leucocyte recruitment from circulation to inflammation sites. Aims: This cross-sectional study aimed to explore the significance of circulatory irisin and ICAM-1 levels in DR. Subjects and Methods: This cross-sectional analytical study was conducted at a tertiary care hospital in Puducherry, India. Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients with retinopathy (n = 60) and without retinopathy (n = 60) were recruited. Apart from anthropometric data, blood samples were collected for routine biochemical tests and estimation of serum irisin and ICAM-1 by ELISA. Data were analysed using IBM SPSS version 20.0. The variables were compared using Independent Student's-t-test, Mann-Whitney U-test, one-way analysis of variance, or Chi-square test. Receiver operator curve (ROC) analysis evaluated irisin and ICAM-1 in differentiating proliferative DR (PDR) and non-proliferative DR (NPDR). Results: Compared to T2DM patients without DR, Serum irisin was higher in those with DR, but no difference was observed in ICAM-1 between the 2 groups. Both irisin and ICAM-1 were decreased in vision-threatening DR (VTDR) compared to non-vision-threatening DR (non-VTDR). Decreased levels of irisin (P = 0.84) and ICAM-1 (P ≤ 0.001) were seen across DR stages. ROC analysis showed irisin differentiated NPDR and PDR (AUC = 0.7, P = 0.01). Conclusions: Serum irisin and ICAM-1 increased in earlier stages of DR but decreased in later stages. They were decreased in pre-proliferative and proliferative stages of DR, suggesting roles in leucocyte migration and angiogenesis. Clinical management may have contributed, and further research is needed.