Evaluation of SH3YL1 Protein as a Potential Biomarker in Different Stages of Diabetic Nephropathy

Background: Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is the most prevalent complication of diabetes. Timely diagnosis of DN is important to prevent long-term renal damage and to assess the prognosis of DN patients.Objectives: To investigate the levels of newly circulating Src homology 3 (SH3) domain-containing Ysc84-like 1 protein (SH3YL1) in various stages of DN among type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients and to determine the relationship between SH3YL1 levels and DN by comparing them with traditional diagnostic biomarkers.Materials and methods: This case-control study included 108 participants, comprising 81 patients with T2DM divided into three subgroups based on the albumin creatinine ratio (ACR): G1 only (27 T2DM with normoalbuminuria), G2 (27 T2DM with microalbuminuria), and G3 (27 T2DM with macroalbuminuria) compared with G4 (27 healthy subjects' group (HS)). All participants underwent a comprehensive history, examination, routine laboratory analysis, and SH3YL1 measurement via enzyme-linked immune sorbent assay. Furthermore, the ROC curve comparison of SH3YL1 with traditional biomarkers was conducted using the DeLongs test. Results: A significant increase in serum SH3YL1 levels was shown in G2 and G3, followed by T2DM patients compared to the G4 group. SH3YL1 levels were positively correlated with blood urea and creatinine, while they were negatively correlated with estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) (P-value < 0.0001). Additionally, in multivariate regression analysis, SH3YL1 was found to be significantly independent of blood urea and eGFR (P-value < 0.05). The receiver operating characteristic curve analysis indicated that SH3YL1 effectively discriminates T2DM and DN patients from HS, with an area under the curve of 0.98 and a cut-off value of >1.1.Conclusion: SH3YL1 protein may serve as a biomarker for T2DM with different stages of DN, particularly in cases of macroalbuminuria, potentially aiding in early detection and treatment. SH3YL1 and routine biomarkers of DN patients may enhance and improve the diagnostic ability.