Affiliations: [a] School of Medicine and Pharmacology, University of Western Australia, Fremantle, WA, Australia
| [b]
School of Medical Sciences, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, WA, Australia
| [c] Department of Biomedical Sciences, Macquarie University, NSW, Australia
| [d] The Florey Institute, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Vic., Australia
Correspondence:
[*]
Correspondence to: Professor, David G. Bruce, School of Medicine and Pharmacology, Fremantle Hospital, The University of Western Australia (M704), Crawley, Western Australia 6009, Australia. Tel.: +61 8 9431 3774; Fax: +61 8 9431 2977; E-mail: david.bruce@uwa.edu.au.
Abstract: Background: Plasma amyloid-β (Aβ) levels have rarely been investigated in type 2 diabetes despite its known associations with Alzheimer’s disease. Objective: To compare blood plasma Aβ concentrations (Aβ40 and Aβ42) in cognitively normal individuals with and without type 2 diabetes. Methods: Plasma Aβ40 and Aβ42 were measured in 194 participants with diabetes recruited from the community-based Fremantle Diabetes Study Phase II cohort (mean age 71 years, 59% males) and 194 age-, sex-, and APOE ɛ4 allele-matched, control subjects without diabetes from the Australian Imaging, Biomarkers and Lifestyle Study using a multiplex microsphere-based immunoassay. Results: Plasma Aβ40 and Aβ42 were normally distributed in the controls but were bimodal in the participants with diabetes. Median Aβ40 and Aβ42 concentrations were significantly lower in those with type 2 diabetes (Aβ40 median [inter-quartile range]: 125.0 [52.6–148.3] versus 149.3 [134.0–165.6] pg/mL; Aβ42: 26.9 [14.5–38.3] versus 33.6 [28.0–38.9] pg/mL, both p < 0.001) while the ratio Aβ42:Aβ40 was significantly higher (0.26 [0.23–0.32] versus 0.22 [0.19–0.25], p < 0.001). After adjustment, participants with diabetes and plasma Aβ40 levels in the low peak of the bimodal distribution were significantly more likely to have normal to high estimated glomerular filtration rates (odds ratio (95% CI): 2.40 (1.20–4.80), p = 0.013) although the group with diabetes had lower renal function overall. Conclusion: Type 2 diabetes is associated with altered plasma concentrations of Aβ peptides and is an important source of variation that needs to be taken into account when considering plasma Aβ peptides as biomarkers for Alzheimer’s disease.
