Low serum concentration of sulfatide and presence of sulfated lactosylceramid are associated with Type 2 diabetes. The Skaraborg Project

• AIMS: The glycosphingolipid sulfatide (sulfated galactosyl-ceramide) increases exocytosis of beta-cell secretory granules, activates K(ATP)-channels and is thereby able to influence insulin secretion through its presence in the islets. A closely related compound, sulfated lactosylceramide (sulf-lac-cer), is present in the islets during fetal and neonatal life when, as in Type 2 diabetes, insulin is secreted autonomically without the usual first phase response to glucose. The aim was to examine whether serum concentrations of these glycolipids are associated with Type 2 diabetes. METHODS: A case-control study, comprising 286 women and 283 men, was designed using a population-based sample of patients with Type 2 diabetes and a population survey. RESULTS: Low serum concentrations of sulfatide were associated with Type 2 diabetes, independent of traditional risk factors for diabetes in a sex-specific analysis: odds ratio (OR) 2.1 (95% confidence interval 1.1, 3.9) in men, and 2.3 (1.2, 4.3) in women, comparing the lowest and the highest tertiles. Type 2 diabetes was also associated with detectable amounts of sulf-lac-cer in serum: OR 1.7 (0.9, 3.4) in men, and 7.6 (3.8, 15.2) in women. After adjustment for confounding from other diabetes risk factors, these associations remained basically unchanged. The connections between sulfatide and Type 2 diabetes, and sulf-lac-cer and Type 2 diabetes were independent of each other. Insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) was negatively correlated with sulfatide concentration and positively correlated with sulf-lac-cer (both P < 0.0001, independently). CONCLUSIONS: We report a new, robust and highly significant independent association between Type 2 diabetes and serum concentrations of sulfatide in both sexes, and sulf-lac-cer in females. The associations were also independent of other known diabetes risk factors.

Subject headings

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Medicinska och farmaceutiska grundvetenskaper -- Neurovetenskaper (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Basic Medicine -- Neurosciences (hsv//eng)

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Klinisk medicin -- Endokrinologi och diabetes (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Clinical Medicine -- Endocrinology and Diabetes (hsv//eng)

Keyword

Antigens

CD/*blood

Case-Control Studies

Diabetes Mellitus

Type 2/*blood/epidemiology

Female

Galactosylceramides/*blood

Humans

Insulin Resistance/physiology

Lactosylceramides/*blood

Male

Middle Aged

Population Surveillance/methods

Risk Factors

Sex Distribution

Sulfoglycosphingolipids/*blood

Sweden/epidemiology

sulf-lac-cer sulfatide

insulin resistance

Type 2 diabetes

sulfated lactosylceramide

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

art (subject category)