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Selenium Levels in Community Dwellers with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

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Abstract

Selenium (Se) is an essential micronutrient required by the human body and exerts biological functions through selenoproteins. The relationship between Se and diabetes remains ambiguous. This study aimed at, through measurements of serum selenoprotein P (SelP), glutathione peroxidase (GPx3), and Se content in serum and hair, evaluating Se levels in community dwellers with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). A total of 336 subjects, including 176 T2DM patients (65.5 ± 8.7 years old) and 160 healthy residents (63.7 ± 9.8 years old, as controls), were recruited in this cross-sectional community-based study performed in Suzhou. Samples of fasting venous blood and hair were collected for measurements of Se levels, glycometabolism, and biochemistry parameters. We found that the serum Se level and SelP concentration in T2DM patients were substantially higher than those in healthy residents (p < 0.05). There was no significant difference in GPx3 activity and hair Se level between the two groups of subjects (p > 0.05). Serum Se was positively correlated with both GPx3 and hair Se in T2DM patients (r = 0.167 and 0.164, respectively, p < 0.05) and negatively correlated with SelP in healthy controls (r = − 0.293, p < 0.05). In conclusion, this study showed significantly higher levels of serum Se and SelP in community dwellers with T2DM than in matched healthy residents.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank all volunteers who participated in this study for their effort and time.

Authorship of All the Authors

Li Wang designed this study and wrote the final draft of the paper; Qianqian Zhang, Wenxia Li, Biyue Hu, and Hang Yun performed the experiments and analyzed the data; and Qianqian Zhang wrote the first draft of the paper. Jian Wang and Renmei Guo recruited volunteers and performed blood and hair sample selenium test. All authors critically reviewed the manuscript and approved the final version submitted for publication.

Funding

This work was funded by the Startup Foundation for Talents of Soochow University (Q412700114).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Nursing, Medical College, Soochow University, No.1 Shizi Street, Suzhou, 215006, China

    Qianqian Zhang, Wenxia Li, Biyue Hu, Hang Yun & Li Wang

  2. Research Center, Soochow Setek Biotechnology Co., Ltd, Suzhou, China

    Jian Wang & Renmei Guo

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  1. Qianqian Zhang
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  2. Wenxia Li
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  3. Jian Wang
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  7. Li Wang
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Correspondence to Li Wang.

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All participants were fully informed about the research purpose and characteristics before they provided signed consent. Ethical approval was granted from the Ethics Committee of Soochow University (ECSU-201700044). This study conformed to the standards of the Declaration of Helsinki and was registered with Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR-IOR-17013645).

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Zhang, Q., Li, W., Wang, J. et al. Selenium Levels in Community Dwellers with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus. Biol Trace Elem Res 191, 354–362 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12011-019-1645-6

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