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25-Hydroxyvitamin D Is Associated with Islet Homeostasis in Type-2 Diabetic Patients with Abdominal Obesity

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Abstract

Objective

Islet α cells input is essential for insulin secretion from β cells. The present study aims to investigate the association between 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] and islet function homeostasis in type-2 diabetes (T2D) patients.

Methods

A total of 4670 T2D patients from seven communities in Shanghai, China were enrolled. The anthropometric indices, biochemical parameters, serum 25(OH)D, and islet function [including C-peptide (C-p) and glucagon] were measured.

Results

The fasting plasma glucose (FPG), glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), glucagon, and C-p levels exhibited a significantly decreasing trend in T2D patients as the 25(OH)D levels increased. Next, the population was divided into two groups: abdominal obesity and non-abdominal obesity groups. After adjustment, the 25(OH)D level was found to be associated with HbA1c, glucagon, and homeostasis model assessment of β (HOMA-β) in the non-abdominal obesity group. There was a significant relationship between 25(OH)D and HbA1c, glucagon, HOMA-IR, baseline insulin or C-p in the abdominal obesity group. In the abdominal obesity group, the ordinary least squares (OLS) regression and quantile regression revealed that 25(OH) D was obviously associated with glucagon and fasting C-p levels. In the abdominal obesity group, the moderate analysis revealed a significant interaction effect of 25(OH)D and glucagon on C-p (P=0.0124). Furthermore, the conditional indirect effect of 25(OH)D on the glucagon/C-p ratio was significantly lower at 1 standard deviation (SD) below the mean (P=0.0002), and lower at the mean of the course of diabetes (P=0.0007).

Conclusion

25(OH)D was found to be negatively correlated to glucagon and C-p in T2D patients with abdominal obesity. The 25(OH)D influenced C-p in part by influencing glucagon. The effect of 25(OH)D on the glucagon/C-p ratio in T2D patients with abdominal obesity, in terms of islet homeostasis, is influenced by the course of diabetes.

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Author notes

  1. The authors contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute and Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Shanghai Ninth People’s Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200011, China

    Qing Li, Wen Zhang, Bing Han, Yu-ying Wang, Heng Wan, Ning-jian Wang & Ying-li Lu

  2. Institute and Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Qingpu Branch of Zhongshan Hospital Affiliated to Fudan University, Shanghai, 201700, China

    Min Zhang

Authors
  1. Qing Li
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  2. Wen Zhang
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  3. Bing Han
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  4. Yu-ying Wang
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  5. Heng Wan
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  6. Min Zhang
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  7. Ning-jian Wang
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Min Zhang, Ning-jian Wang or Ying-li Lu.

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The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest or financial interests associated with the manuscript.

Additional information

This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 82120108008, No. 91857117), the Project of Biobank (No. YBKA201909) from Shanghai Ninth People’s Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, and a grant from Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine (No. 19XJ11007).

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Li, Q., Zhang, W., Han, B. et al. 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Is Associated with Islet Homeostasis in Type-2 Diabetic Patients with Abdominal Obesity. CURR MED SCI 43, 919–926 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11596-023-2780-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11596-023-2780-z

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