Despite extensive research efforts, very few markers are used in clinics for the diagnosis of type 2 diabetes mellitus. While fatty acid intermediates have been studied in diabetes patients and experimental models of insulin resistance, none of these markers have been successfully translated into clinical practice.
Authors from the Latvian Institute of Organic Synthesis show that a blunted decrease in long-chain acylcarnitine plasma concentrations during the glucose tolerance test is associated with muscle-specific insulin resistance, while postprandial changes in plasma FFA levels reflect adipose tissue insulin sensitivity. Authors propose that implementation of FFAs and long-chain acylcarnitine measurements would provide multiple clinical benefits. This diagnostic approach would provide novel possibilities to characterize tissue-specific insulin resistance during diabetes progression and intervention (both lifestyle changes and pharmacotherapy).
The research has been published in Frontiers in Endocrinology (IF=3.634):
E. Makarova, M. Makrecka-Kuka, K. Vilks, Kristine Volska, Eduards Sevostjanovs, Solveiga Grinberga, Olga Zarkova-Malkova, Maija Dambrova and Edgars Liepinsh
Decreases in Circulating Concentrations of Long-Chain Acylcarnitines and Free Fatty Acids During the Glucose Tolerance Test Represent Tissue-Specific Insulin Sensitivity
Front. Endocrinol., 2019, DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2019.00870
