Plasma Betatrophin Levels of Subjects Classified with Normal, Impaired, and Diabetic Glucose Tolerance, and Subjects with Impaired Fasting Glucose

Abstract This study was aimed to investigate whether betatrophin shows glucose intolerance or not. To access the plasma betatrophin levels after basal and glucose load, groups were classified as normal glucose tolerance (NGT), impaired fasting glucose (IFG), impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), and diabetic glucose tolerance (DGT) according to WHO 2012 criteria. An oral glucose tolerance test was performed on age-matched subjects (n=220) with a body mass index (BMI)<27 kg/m2. Subjects were categorized as normoglycemic (n=55), IFG (n=50), IGT (n=60), and DM (n=55) according to the WHO criteria. Baseline betatrophin levels in DGT are significantly higher than in NGT (p<0.005), IFG (p<0.004), and IGT (p<0.001). Male subjects have significantly higher betatrophin levels than female subjects (p<0.01). In DGT, betatrophin of male subjects was found to be significantly higher than the betatrophin of male subjects in NGT (p<0.04), IFG (p<0.01), and IGT (p<0.01). Significant relationship between betatrophin and both ages and HbA1c in all groups were observed. When ages were accepted as an independent factor, significant correlation between betatrophin and ages were found. Betatrophin is increased and associated with age and HbA1c in DGT. Males had higher betatrophin levels compared with females in DGT group. As no obvious betatrophin deficiency to substitute in IFG and IGT individuals were observed, betatrophin levels appeared to be related to the pathogenesis of the diabetic stages rather than prediabetic stages.