Alterations in circulating levels of vitamin D binding protein, total and bioavailability of vitamin D in diabetic retinopathy patients

AIMS: This study aimed to investigate the association between circulating levels of vitamin D binding protein (VDBP) and its genotypes and diabetic retinopathy risk. METHODS: This case–control study recruited 154 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus; 62 with diabetic retinopathy (DR) and 92 without DR and diabetic nephropathy (DN). Circulating levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 and VDBP levels were measured in the patients. The genotype and phenotype of VDBP were evaluated based on two common VDBP variations; rs7041 and rs4588. RESULTS: Serum levels of VDBP were significantly lower in patients with DR than in patients without DR and/or DN (Ln-VDBP (μg/ml): 6.14 ± 0.92 vs. 6.73 ± 1.45, p = 0.001) even after adjustment for age, sex, body mass index, disease duration, estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), HbA1C, insulin therapy profile, and serum levels of 25(OH)D. The distribution of VDBP phenotypes and genotypes in the two studied groups were nearly the same, and the distribution was similar to that of the general population. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, we found the association between lower circulating levels of VDBP and risk of DR. However, the precise mechanism linking these two remains unknown. Further and more in-depth research is needed to find out the underlying causes of the relationship. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12902-022-01084-6.