Potential prognostic role of immune system activation marker neopterin in patients with type 2 diabetes

Background: An increase in neopterin concentrations is known in some pathologies due to interferon-gamma (INF-γ) activation. These include viral and bacterial infections, auto immune diseases, metabolic diseases, psychiatric disorders, tissue and organ rejections, and different malignancies. The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of neopterin as a prognostic biomarker in type 2 diabetes, which is a metabolic disease with a high worldwide prevalence. Methods: The study included a total of one hundred thirtynine individuals including one hundred and six patients admitted to a family medicine outpatient clinic and diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and thirty-three healthy volunteers. Serum neopterin concentrations were measured using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results: Serum neopterin levels significantly increased in type 2 diabetes patients, compared to the control group (p<0.001). Conclusions: Early diagnosis of diabetes and determination of the appropriate therapeutic options are of utmost importance, as diabetes is also associated with other systemic diseases. The risk of developing secondary diseases is high in untreated patients. Our study results suggest that serum neopterin may be a useful biomarker in patients with type 2 diabetes.