Serum Mannose-Binding Lectin Is a Strong Biomarker of Diabetic Retinopathy in Chinese Patients With Diabetes

OBJECTIVE Inflammation and complement activation initiated by mannose-binding lectin (MBL) may be implicated in the pathogenesis of diabetic vascular complications. We investigated serum MBL levels in patients with diabetes with and without diabetic retinopathy (DR).

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Serum MBL levels were determined in 348 patients with diabetes and in 100 healthy control subjects. The prediction value of MBL was compared with diabetes duration, hs-CRP, and other known predictors. Multivariate analyses were performed using logistic regression models.

RESULTS MBL levels on admission were significantly increased in patients with diabetes with DR (P < 0.0001) and vision-threatening DR (VTDR; P < 0.0001). Multivariate logistic regression analysis adjusted for common indictors showed that serum MBL levels ≥3,385 μg/L were an independent predictor of DR (odds ratio [OR] 3.14, 95% CI 1.77–5.57) and VTDR (OR 7.83, 95% CI 3.35–18.31). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of MBL was 0.81 (95% CI 0.76–0.86) for DR and 0.84 (95% CI 0.74–0.93) for VTDR.

CONCLUSIONS The current study demonstrated that MBL appears to be an independent biomarker for DR in the Chinese population, suggesting a possible role of MBL in the pathogenesis of DR complications in diabetes.