Betatrophin Acts as a Diagnostic Biomarker in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and Is Negatively Associated with HDL-Cholesterol

Objective. By assessing its circulating concentrations in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients, we aimed to explore the associations of betatrophin with various metabolic parameters and evaluate its diagnostic value in T2DM. Methods. A total of 58 non-diabetes-mellitus (NDM) subjects and 73 age- and sex-matched newly diagnosed T2DM patients were enrolled. Correlation analyses between circulating betatrophin levels and multiple metabolic parameters were performed. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used to assess the diagnostic value of betatrophin concentration in T2DM. Results. Circulating betatrophin levels were approximately 1.8 times higher in T2DM patients than in NDM individuals (median 747.12 versus 407.41 pg/mL, P < 0.001). Correlation analysis showed that betatrophin was negatively associated with high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels in all subjects. ROC curve analysis identified betatrophin as a potent diagnostic biomarker for T2DM. The optimal cut-off point of betatrophin concentration for predicting T2DM was 501.23 pg/mL. Conclusions. Serum betatrophin levels were markedly increased in newly diagnosed T2DM patients and further elevated in obese T2DM subjects. Betatrophin was negatively correlated with HDL-C levels. Our findings indicate that betatrophin could be a potent diagnostic biomarker for T2DM.