α-2-Macroglobulin in Saliva Is Associated with Glycemic Control in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Abstract

Background. Subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2) require an adequate glycemic control to avoid diabetic complications. Currently, saliva biomarkers are used as a diagnostic tool and can be indicative of the degree of progression and control of various diseases. Several studies indicate thatα-2-macroglobulin levels are elevated in diabetic patients.Methods. 120 subjects with DM2 were enrolled and classified into two groups according to their glycemic control (percentage of glycated hemoglobin-A1c (HbA1c), <7% adequate glycemic control group; >7% inadequate glycemic control group). The relationship betweenα-2-macroglobulin levels from saliva samples and HbA1c was subsequently evaluated.Results. We found a positive correlation betweenα-2-macroglobulin and HbA1c (r=0.778andP<0.0001). Area under the receivers operating characteristic (ROC) curve ofα-2-macroglobulin indicated a positive discrimination threshold ofα-2-macroglobulin (AUC = 0.903, CI 95%: 0.847–0.959,P<0.0001) to diagnose glycemic control.Conclusions. Our data strongly suggest that the level of salivaα-2-macroglobulin is an indicator for the degree of glycemic control in diabetic patients and represents a promising alternative method to evaluate this parameter.