Objective: Thus, our study aimed to investigate the impact of G2548A polymorphism on serum leptin levels and insulin resistance among Malaysian T2DM patients.
Methods: This case-control study involved 150 T2DM patients and 150 non-diabetic volunteers from ethnic Malays, Chinese and Indians. Genotyping of G2548A polymorphism was carried out using PCR-RFLP. Serum leptin and insulin levels were determined via ELISA. ANOVA and Chi-square tests were used to determine the distribution of genotypes and allelic frequencies based on serum leptin and insulin levels.
Results: Frequency of AA genotype and A allele of G2548A variant were significantly (P < 0.05) higher in T2DM patients of Malay and Indian ethnicities (4%, 35%, and 36%, 57%, respectively) as compared to the control groups (0%, 22%, and 18%, 35%, respectively). Fasting serum leptin levels were significantly (P < 0.001) higher in T2DM patients compared to non-diabetic subjects (166.78 pg/ml, 101.94 pg/ml, respectively). Additionally, elevated serum leptin, insulin levels, and BMI in diabetic patients were found to be associated with the AA genotype of this variant, compared to GG, and GA genotypes (P < 0.05).
Conclusion: Our findings suggest a significant association between G2548A polymorphism among Malaysian T2DM subjects, particularly among Malay and Indian ethnic groups. Moreover, the A allele frequency of the G2548A variant significantly increased the risk of T2DM and is significantly associated with increased serum leptin, insulin levels, and elevated BMI.
METHODS: The prevalence of G6PD deficiency among 408 Thai participants diagnosed with malaria by microscopy (71), and malaria-negative controls (337), was assessed using a phenotypic test based on water-soluble tetrazolium salts. High-resolution melting (HRM) curve analysis was developed from a previous study to enable the detection of 15 common missense, synonymous and intronic G6PD mutations in Asian populations. The identified mutations were subjected to biochemical and structural characterisation to understand the molecular mechanisms underlying enzyme deficiency.
RESULTS: Based on phenotypic testing, the prevalence of G6PD deficiency (T) and intronic (c.1365-13T>C and c.486-34delT) mutations was detected with intermediate to normal enzyme activity. The double missense mutations were less catalytically active than their corresponding single missense mutations, resulting in severe enzyme deficiency. While the mutations had a minor effect on binding affinity, structural instability was a key contributor to the enzyme deficiency observed in G6PD-deficient individuals.
CONCLUSIONS: With varying degrees of enzyme deficiency, G6PD genotyping can be used as a complement to phenotypic screening to identify those who are eligible for 8-aminoquinolines. The information gained from this study could be useful for management and treatment of malaria, as well as for the prevention of unanticipated reactions to certain medications and foods in the studied population.