Is heat shock protein 60 associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus?

AimsHSP60 plays a protective role against heat, oxidative injury and ultraviolet. Recently, animal and clinical studies have suggested that HSP60 plays a role in various diseases. However, few epidemiological studies have demonstrated an association between HSP60 levels and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Therefore, an epidemiological study was conducted to examine the association of HSP60 with type 2 diabetes mellitus.MethodsThis study included 83 type 2 diabetes mellitus patients and 161 controls that were recruited from male employees who received annual health check-ups between 2005 and 2007. The serum HSP60 levels were measured using the ELISA method.ResultsBecause the HSP60 levels were not detectable (<3.125 ng/mL) in 48.0% of the study subjects, HSP60 levels were divided into two categories (detectable or undetectable). A logistic regression analysis showed that the subjects in the undetectable had a 2.03 times higher risk of diabetes mellitus than those in the detectable after adjustment for age, BMI and rate of hypertension medication.ConclusionsThis study was the first epidemiological study to demonstrate an association between type 2 diabetes mellitus and HSP60, thus suggesting that HSP60 may play an important role in the type 2 diabetes mellitus pathology.