Increased circulating myostatin in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus

The changes of plasma myostatin levels in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) and their clinical correlation were investigated. We recruited 43 T2D patients and 20 age-matched healthy subjects. Plasma myostatin, lipid and glucose, and serum insulin were determined. T2D patients showed significantly higher fasting plasma glucose (FPG), serum insulin and triglyceride levels, and lower high-density lipoprotein levels than normal control subjects (P < 0.01). Mean plasma myostatin level in T2D patients and health controls was (66.5 +/- 17.8) and (46.2 +/- 13.8) ng/mL, respectively. An unpaired t test showed that the increase of myostatin in the T2D patients was significant (P < 0.001). In both healthy control and T2D groups, the female subjects showed higher myostatin levels than the male subjects. In the T2D patients, plasma level of myostatin was negatively correlated with body mass index (BMI, r=-0.42, P < 0.01) and FPG (r=-0.51, PaOE (c) 0.01), but positively correlated with insulin resistance index (HOMA-IR, r=0.48, P < 0.01). Up-regulation of plasma myostatin in the T2D patients and its correlation with BMI, FPG and blood insulin sensitivity suggests that plasma myostatin may be implicated in the pathogenesis of T2D and thus presented as a therapeutic target for treating the disease. Furthermore, circulating myostatin levels may be used as a biomarker for the disease.