Science Letters

Vitamin D binding protein gene variants rs4588 and rs7041 and low serum concentration of 25-hydroxy (OH) vitamin D3 in type-2 diabetes patients: a pilot study

Hayat Khan a, Azhar Masood Qureshi a, Sheeba Murad b*

a Molecular Immunology Research Group, Health Care Biotechnology Department, Atta-ur-Rahman School of Applied Biosciences, National University of Sciences and

Technology, 44000, Islamabad, Pakistan

b Al-Asad Clinic, Zafar-ul-Haq Road, New Leprosy Hospital, Rawalpindi, Pakistan

Abstract

The current study was designed to evaluate vitamin D3 levels and its association with common genetic variants of vitamin D binding protein (VDBP) in type-2 diabetic (TD2) patients of local Pakistani population. Serum 25-hydroxy (OH) vitamin D3 was quantified in 40 patients and 40 healthy individuals through IDS 25- Hydroxy vitamin D enzyme immunoassay (EIA). A common variant of VDBP or group specific component (GC), rs4588 and rs7041 were genotyped by restriction fragment length (RFLP) polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Serum levels of 25-hydroxy (OH) vitamin D3 were found to be deficient (<10 ng/ml) in 74% of T2D patients, while 20% of T2D patients and 90% healthy individuals revealed insufficient D3 levels (10-29 ng/ml), indicating the importance of the evaluation of 25-hydroxy (OH) vitamin D3 levels in T2D patients in Pakistan. The risk alleles of GC (rs4588 and rs7041) were not found to be associated with low serum level of 25-hydroxy (OH) vitamin D3 (p=0.053). This pilot study indicates insufficient levels of vitamin D in our general population and low levels in diabetics and forms the basis to perform a large-scale, population based comprehensive study.

Keywords: Vitamin D, hypovitaminosis, type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Received December 15, 2014 Revised January 25, 2015 Published online first February 29, 2015

*Corresponding author Sheeba Murad Email sheebamall@yahoo.com