Circulating Heat Shock Protein 27 Is a Novel Marker of Subclinical Atherosclerosis in Type 2 Diabetes

Background: Heat shock protein 27 (HSP27) has been proposed as a vital protective factor in atherosclerosis. The objective of this study was to evaluate the association between circulating HSP27 and intima-media thickness (IMT) of common carotid artery in patients with type 2 diabetes and to determine if HSP27 is an independent marker for subclinical atherosclerosis in diabetes.Methods: This was a cross-sectional community-based study consisting of 186 Chinese subjects with the median duration of diabetes of 8.2 years who underwent carotid IMT measurement by ultrasound. Serum HSP27 levels were assessed by ELISA method. Results: Serum HSP27 levels were significantly higher in IMT (+, ＞1.0 mm) group than IMT (-, ≤1.0 mm) group, with the median value of 8.80 ng/mL (5.62-12.25) and 6.93 ng/mL (4.23-9.60) respectively (P=0.006). Spearman's rank correlation analysis demonstrated that the concentrations of circulating HSP27 were positively correlated with carotid IMT (r=0.198, P=0.007) and blood urea nitrogen (r=0.170, P＜0.05). Furthermore, in the logistic model, serum HSP27 levels were independent predictors for carotid IMT in type 2 diabetic patients after adjustment for sex, smoking status, onset age of diabetes, duration of diabetes, BMI, SBP, FBG, HbA1c, TG, HDL-C, LDL-C, fasting insulin, fasting C peptide and HOMA-IR (OR=1.084, P＜0.05).Conclusions: Circulating HSP27, positively correlated with carotid IMT, is an independent predictor for early atherosclerotic changes in diabetes and serves as a novel marker for subclinical atherosclerosis in type 2 diabetes.