Association between irisin and homocysteine in euglycemic and diabetic subjects

Objectives: The aim of study was to explore whether a relationship exists between homocysteine and irisin in type 2 diabetes (T2D) patients-a population with a high risk of developing cardiovascular disease-and euglycemic controls. Design and methods: 69 T2D patients and 75 control subjects (adjusted by body mass index (BMI)) were included in the study. Irisin and homocysteine concentrations and anthropometric and biochemical variables were determined. Results: Levels of homocysteine were significantly higher (11.0 +/- 3.0 vs 12.4 +/- 4.2 mu mol/l) and levels of irisin were lower (279 +/- 58 vs 263 +/- 38 ng/ml) in T2D patients. When both T2D and controls were considered, irisin was found to correlate only with homocysteine (r = -0.215; p = 0.011). Moreover, a decreasing trend in irisin levels was observed according to homocysteine tertile (p = 0.034). Conclusions: Our results provide evidence of an association between irisin and homocysteine, which may be due to nicotinamide metabolism. The clinical significance of this relationship is unclear, but our findings may prompt further mechanistic research to investigate the role played by irisin in vascular disorders. (C) 2014 The Canadian Society of Clinical Chemists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.