Identification of potential biomarkers in urine and plasma of spontaneously diabetic mice

Abstract

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a group of metabolic diseases characterized by hyperglycemia and it has become a global epidemic in the past years, representing a major burden for the health care system. Once it was established the heterogeneity in the determining factors for the development of diabetes and its complications, the understanding of such variability is essential for the development of new strategies for prevention and treatment. One of the most promising tools for understanding diabetes and its complications is proteomics, an emerging field of science that allows the study of proteins and their involvement in pathological states in large scale. This approach looks increasingly attractive in the search for biomarkers related to human chronic disorders, such as diabetes. A biomarker is, in general, a substance that can be used as an indicator of a biological state being used as a tool in both diagnosis and prognosis of various diseases. Furthermore, in some cases a biomarker can represent a powerful element in prevention as well. It also allows classifying a disease, detecting toxicity, and developing new drugs for the treatment. In the present study we propose the investigation of potential early biomarkers of diabetes, as well as biomarkers of early stages of diabetic nephropathy linked to the renin-angiotensin system in urine and plasma of mice non obese diabetic (NOD), using proteomic analysis, providing tools that could be extremely useful in early diagnosis of the disease and its complications, as well as in the monitoring of treatment. (AU)