The Course of Progranulin Levels at Admission and During Early Period of Insulin Treatment in Children with Newly Diagnosed Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus.

Objective: Progranulin (PGRN), a growth factor, modulates cell proliferation, wound repair, and inflammation. It involves glucose metabolism and is associated with insulin resistance and diabetes mellitus (DM). In the present study, we evaluate PGRN levels at admission and during follow-up in children with newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) in comparison with healthy controls.

Material and methods: A total of 49 children, 25 with T1DM (12F/13M) and 24 healthy controls (10F/14M) were recruited. The age, weight, height, body mass index (BMI), severity of acidosis, glucose, insulin, C-peptide, and diabetes-specific autoantibodies of children with newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) were examined. The PGRN was measured in children with T1DM at admission, first week of follow-up, and in healthy controls.

Results: There was no differences in age (11 ± 3.9 years vs 12.1 ± 3.1 years, p = 0.269) and BMI standard deviation score (SDS) (-0.11 ± 1.49 SD vs 0.10 ± 0.82 SD, p = 0.540) characteristics of children with T1DM and healthy controls. The basal PGRN levels of children with newly diagnosed T1DM were higher than those of controls (90.8 ± 17.3 ng/mL vs 30 ± 11.5 ng/mL, p < 0.001). In children with T1DM, basal PGRN at admission (90.8 ± 17.3 ng/mL) significantly declined (58.4 ± 16.9 ng/mL) in the first week (when glycemic regulation was achieved) (p <0.001).

Conclusion: These findings suggest that elevated PGRN levels in children with newly diagnosed T1DM may reflect both an acute inflammatory response to diabetic ketoacidosis and a persistent alteration in metabolic regulation, underscoring the potential role of PGRN as a biomarker in the early course of the disease.