OBJECTIVE Betatrophin, a newly identified hormone, has been recently characterized as a potent stimulator that increases the production and expansion of insulin-secreting β-cells in mice, but the physiological role of betatrophin remains poorly understood. This study measured for the first time serum betatrophin levels in newly diagnosed patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) and explored the correlations between its serum levels and various metabolic parameters in T2DM.

REAEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS We analyzed the concentrations of betatrophin by ELISA in blood samples of 166 well-characterized individuals in whom anthropometric parameters, oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), glycosylated hemoglobin, blood lipids, insulin sensitivity (1/homeostasis model assesment of insulin resistance [1/HOMA-IR] and Matsuda index [ISI_M]), and insulin secretion were measured. The participants were divided into newly diagnosed T2DM patients (n = 83) and age-, sex- and BMI-matched healthy control subjects (n = 83).

RESULTS Serum betatrophin levels were significantly higher in T2DM patients than in healthy control subjects (613.08 [422.19–813.08] vs. 296.57 [196.53–509.46] pg/ml; P < 0.01). Serum betatrophin positively correlated with age, 2-h post-OGTT glucose (2hPG), and postprandial serum insulin (PSI), but negatively with 1/HOMA-IR and ISI_M in T2DM patients. In the control group, betatrophin was only positively associated with age. In T2DM subjects, multivariate regression analyses showed that age, 2hPG, and PSI were independent factors influencing serum betatrophin levels.

CONCLUSIONS Circulating concentrations of betatrophin are significantly increased in T2DM patients. Our results suggest that betatrophin may play a role in the pathogenesis of T2DM.