Vanin 1 Gene Role in Modulation of INOS/MCP-1/TGF-β1 Signaling Pathway in Obese Diabetic Patients

Introduction: Cysteamine, a powerful endogenous antioxidant, is produced mostly by the vanin-1 with pantetheinase activity. With regard to glycemic, inflammatory, and redox factors, the current study sought to evaluate the association between the expression of the vanin-1 gene, oxidative stress, and inflammatory and iNOS signaling pathway in obese diabetic patients.

Methods: We enrolled 67 male subjects with an average age of 53.5 ± 5.0 years, divided into 4 groups according to the WHO guideline. We determined their plasma levels of glucose, insulin, IRI, HbA1c, TC, TG, HDL-C, TNF- α, MCP-1, TGF-β1, SOD, CAT, and TBARs, as well as expression of the iNOS and Vanin1 genes.

Results: Overweight and obese class I and II diabetics had significantly higher levels of plasma glucose, insulin, HbA1c, TNF-α, MCP-1, TGF-β1, CAT, and TBAR as well as iNOS and vanin-1 gene expression compared to healthy control individuals. In addition, as compared to healthy control individuals, overweight obese class I and II diabetics' plasma HDL-C levels and blood SOD activity were significantly lower. In addition, ultrasound and computed tomography showed that the presence of a mild obscuring fatty liver with mild hepatic echogenicity appeared in overweight, class I and II obese diabetic patients.

Conclusion: These findings provide important information for understanding the correlation between Vanin 1 and glycemic, inflammatory, and redox factors in obese patients. Furthermore, US and CT analysis were performed to visualize the observed images of fatty liver due to obesity.