Study Of Transforming Growth Factor-Beta1 (Tgf-B1) Levels In Diabetes Mellitus

Sustained hyperglycemia is a central predisposing factor for long-term microvascular and macrovascular complications in patients with diabetes mellitus. Because the level of long-standing glycemia does not fully explain the presence of diabetic complications, it is possible that other factors can protect against or predispose to microvascular complications.Our aim in this study was to evaluate the plasma levels of TGF-1 in diabetic patients with or without controlled diabetes to determine if there is a relationship between this factor and the control of diabetes and the development or the progression of complications.The study was carried out on 51 subjects (36 diabetic patients {17 patients with controlled diabetes mellitus and 19 patients with uncontrolled diabetes mellitus} and 15 healthy subjects as a control group). All studied cases and control group were subjected to thorough history taking, clinical examinations, and laboratory investigations including chest X-ray, abdominal ultrasonography, electrocardiography, echocardiography, fundus examination, complete blood count, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, kidney and liver functions, serum creatinine level, creatinine clearance, albumin excretion rate in urine, serum cholesterol; triglyceride; LDL; and HDL levels. Diabetes control was followed by serial fasting blood glucose and glycated hemoglobin levels. Plasma levels of TGF-1 was measured by ELISA twice times during the period of the study (at the beginning of the study and at the end of it).