Association of soluble CD40 ligand with carotid atherosclerosis in Japanese type 1 diabetic patients

• Published in: Diabetologia Vol. 49; no. 7; pp. 1670 - 1676
• Main Authors: Katakami, N., Kaneto, H., Matsuhisa, M., Miyatsuka, T., Sakamoto, K., Kawamori, D., Yoshiuchi, K., Nakamura, Y., Kato, K., Yamamoto, K., Kosugi, K., Hori, M., Yamasaki, Y.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin Springer 01.07.2006; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adult; Atherosclerosis (general aspects, experimental research); Biological and medical sciences; Blood and lymphatic vessels; Cardiology. Vascular system; Carotid Artery Diseases - blood; Carotid Artery, Common - anatomy & histology; Case-Control Studies; CD40 Ligand - blood; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 - blood; Diabetes. Impaired glucose tolerance; Diabetic Angiopathies - blood; Endocrine pancreas. Apud cells (diseases); Endocrinopathies; Etiopathogenesis. Screening. Investigations. Target tissue resistance; Female; Humans; Japan; Male; Medical sciences; Tunica Intima - anatomy & histology; Japan; Endocrinopathy; Human; Immunopathology; Ligand; Intima-media thickness; Cardiovascular disease; Autoimmune disease; Japanese; Artery; Vascular disease; IMT; Association; Type 1 diabetes; Blood vessel; Carotid; CD40 ligand; Atherosclerosis; Intima; Circulatory system; Carotid artery
• ISSN: 0012-186X; 1432-0428
• DOI: 10.1007/s00125-006-0281-9

It has recently been shown that the soluble form of CD40 ligand (sCD40L) interacts with CD40 on vascular cells, leading to a variety of proinflammatory responses, and that serum sCD40L levels can be a predictive marker of cardiovascular events. The aim of this study was to estimate sCD40L levels in type 1 diabetic patients to examine a possible association with carotid atherosclerosis. Human sCD40L levels in serum and intima-media thickness (IMT) of carotid artery were examined in 80 Japanese type 1 diabetic patients (27 men and 53 women, age 22.8+/-3.4 years (mean+/-SD), duration of diabetes 13.2+/-6.1 years) and 20 healthy age-matched non-diabetic individuals. Serum sCD40L levels were significantly (p=0.0185) higher in subjects with type 1 diabetes (2.10+/-1.33 ng/ml) compared with non-diabetic subjects (1.35+/-0.88 ng/ml). The greatest IMT (Max-IMT) and averaged IMT (Mean-IMT) were also significantly greater in patients with type 1 diabetes than in control subjects (0.73+/-0.14 vs 0.64+/-0.07 mm, p=0.0041, 0.63+/-0.09 vs 0.57+/-0.06 mm, p=0.0066, respectively). Levels of sCD40L were statistically significantly associated with Max-IMT (r=0.383, p<0.001) and Mean-IMT (r=0.275, p=0.0058). Furthermore, stepwise multivariate regression analyses demonstrated that sCD40L is a determinant of both Max- and Mean-IMT, independently of conventional risk factors. It is suggested that increased levels of serum sCD40L are associated with accelerated atherosclerotic change observed in young patients with type 1 diabetes.