Circulating level of TRAIL concentration is positively associated with endothelial function and increased by diabetic therapy in the newly diagnosed type 2 diabetic patients

Objective Tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) is associated with atherosclerosis. This study was to investigate the changes of circulating TRAIL and its association with flow-mediated endothelium-dependent arterial dilation (FMD) before and after diabetic treatment in newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes. Materials and Methods The study subjects included 55 newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes and 52 healthy subjects. Circulating TRAIL concentration was measured by an ELISA, and high-resolution ultrasound was used to measure FMD of brachial artery. Results The circulating TRAIL in patients before treatment was 6446pg/ml, which was significantly lower than that in control (8070pg/ml, P<0001). After 6months of diabetic treatment, TRAIL level increased markedly (7511pg/ml), which was still lower than that in control (P<0001). FMD was reduced compared with controls at baseline and increased after diabetic therapy (P<0001). In multivariate analysis, circulating TRAIL was significantly associated with FMD, fasting blood glucose (FBG), 2-h blood glucose (2-hBG), haemoglobinA1c (HbA1c) and C-reactive protein (CRP) at baseline (P<001). The absolute change in TRAIL was correlated with the changes in FMD, FBG, 2-hBG, HbA1c and CRP (P<001) before and after diabetic treatment. Conclusion Circulating TRAIL level decreased in newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes and increased after 6months of diabetic treatment significantly. The circulating TRAIL level is positively associated with endothelial function. Our data showed that circulating TRAIL level may be a protective maker of endothelial function in type 2 diabetes.