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. 2025 Jun 26:16:1519586.
doi: 10.3389/fendo.2025.1519586. eCollection 2025.

Circulating prosaposin and ependymin-related protein 1 levels are correlated with insulin resistance in type 2 diabetic patients

Xin Ji  1   2 , Yajing Wang  1   2 , Sijia Xu  1   2 , Ling Cao  1   2 , Penghua Fang  3 , Zhenwen Zhang  1   2
Affiliations

Circulating prosaposin and ependymin-related protein 1 levels are correlated with insulin resistance in type 2 diabetic patients

Xin Ji et al. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). .

Abstract

Objective: Skeletal muscle and adipose tissues secrete myokines and adipokines to regulate energy metabolism. Experimental evidence indicates that prosaposin (PSAP) and ependymin-related protein 1 (EPDR1) are involved in the regulation of thermogenesis and energy metabolism. To our knowledge, little literature has been found dealing with PSAP and EPDR1 levels in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients. The aim of the study was to evaluate possible relationships between both peptide levels and insulin resistance indexes in type 2 diabetic subjects.

Methods: The study groups consisted of 64 T2DM subjects and 22 normal controls. Serum PSAP and EPDR1 concentrations were determined using immunosorbent assay kits.

Results: The serum PSAP (319.6 ± 78.38 vs. 207.2 ± 42.43, P<0.0001) and EPDR1 (7.988 ± 3.484 vs. 6.399 ± 3.788, P=0.0823) concentrations were higher in T2DM subjects than normal controls. In addition, positive correlations were found between: PSAP and fasting blood glucose (FBG) levels (r = 0.5004; P< 0.0001), PSAP and Hemoglobin A1c (HAb1c) (r = 0.4688; P< 0.0001), PSAP and C-peptide (r = 0.3981; P = 0.0003), PSAP and triglyceride-glucose index (TyG) (r = 0.2362; P< 0.0001), PSAP and homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) (r = 0.3314; P = 0.0035), PSAP and homeostasis model assessment of C-peptide resistance (HOMA-CR) (r = 0.5486; P< 0.0001), EPDR1 and insulin (r = 0.2291; P = 0.045), EPDR1 and HOMA-IR (r = 0.2462; P = 0.0309) in both T2DM and normal control subjects.

Conclusions: Our results indicated that T2DM individuals have higher serum PSAP and EPDR1 levels, and both peptide concentrations were positively correlative to insulin (INS) resistance levels. PSAP and EPDR1 levels may be taken as potential biomarkers to forecast the development of T2DM.

Keywords: EPDR1; PSAP; T2DM; adipokine; insulin resistance.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The main biochemical characteristics of two groups. The BMI (A), fasting blood glucose (B), HbA1c (C), C-peptide (D), HOMA-IR (E), HOMA-CR (H), TyG (J), TG (K), and LDL-C (M) levels were significantly increased in patients with T2DM. The HOMA-b (INS) (F), HOMA-IS (G), HOMA-b (C-peptide) (I), and HDL-C (N) were decreased in patients with T2DM. No significant differences in TC (L) levels in patients with T2DM. Data are expressed as mean ± SD, ****P < 0.0001; ***P < 0.001; ns, no significance.
Figure 2
Figure 2
The levels of serum PSAP and EPDR1 in T2DM subjects. The serum PSAP (A) and EPDR1 (B) concentrations were increased in T2DM subjects. Data are expressed as mean ± SD, ****P<0.0001 vs. normal controls.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Correlations between serum PSAP and EPDR1 and insulin resistance indexes. No significant correlations were found between PSAP levels and BMI (A). The positive correlations were found between PSAP and Fasting blood glucose (B), PSAP and HAb1c (C), PSAP and C-peptide (D), PSAP and TyG (E), PSAP and HOMA-IR (F), PSAP and HOMA-CR (G), EPDR1 and insulin (J), EPDR1 and HOMA-IR (K) in both T2DM and normal control groups. The negative correlations were found between PSAP and HOMA-IS (H), PSAP and HOMA-β (INS) (I), and EPDR1 and HOMA-IS (L).
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