Effect of high dose thiamine on the levels of urinary protein biomarkers in diabetes mellitus type 2

The proteomics is known to be a valuable field of study and has become one of the most attractive sub-disciplines in clinical proteomics for human diseases. In the present research work, the levels of urinary protein biomarkers of diabetes mellitus type 2 using proteomic technology have been identified and characterized. Effect of high dose thiamine has also been observed on the levels of these marker proteins. Above 100 type 2 diabetic patients, and 50 same age and sex-matched normal healthy controls were recruited from the Sheikh Zayed Hospital, Lahore, Pakistan and 40 diabetic and 20 control have completed the trial. The urine samples from control and diabetic groups before or after thiamine therapy were further analyzed and identified by 2-D liquid chromatographic system (HPLC) and mass spectrometry MALDI-TOF/TOF and microTOF analysis. All the samples belonging to the control and diabetic groups were then analyzed by ELISA and estimated the levels of some proteins which were found to vary. In the urine samples, the levels of transthyretin, AMBP, haptoglobin precursor were found to decrease while albumin, zinc α 2 glycoprotein, RBP4 and E cadherin were found to increase in the diabetic patients as compared to the controls. The level of albumin in the urine samples of diabetic patients only decreased by 34% after thiamine therapy as compared to the controls and the placebo, while other urinary protein markers did not show a significant change after the therapy. Assessment of the levels of these biomarkers will be helpful in the diagnosis and treatment of diabetes mellitus type 2.