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Serum prorenin levels and diabetic retinopathy in type 2 diabetes: new method to measure serum level of prorenin using antibody activating direct kinetic assay

H Yokota¹, F Mori¹, K Kai¹, T Nagaoka¹, N Izumi¹, A Takahashi¹, T Hikichi¹, A Yoshida¹, F Suzuki² and Y Ishida³

¹ Department of Ophthalmology, Asahikawa Medical College, Asahikawa, Japan
² Faculty of Applied Biological Science, Gifu University, Gifu, Japan
³ Preveqol Co, Tokyo, Japan

Correspondence to:
Correspondence to:
Harumasa Yokota
MD, Department of Ophthalmology, Asahikawa Medical College, 2-1-1-1 Midorigaoka Higashi, Asahikawa, 078-8510 Japan; atokoy18{at}asahikawa-med.ac.jp

Aim: To investigate the serum levels of prorenin and its correlation with the severity of diabetic retinopathy (DR).

Methods: 248 patients with diabetes and 108 control subjects were divided into four groups: no-DR (n = 146), no proliferative diabetic retinopathy (no-PDR) (n = 78), PDR (n = 24), and controls (n = 108). Serum levels of prorenin from all subjects were measured using the new antibody activating direct kinetic (AAD-PR) assay. The serum prorenin levels were compared among the groups.

Results: The serum levels of prorenin in the control, no-DR, no-PDR, and PDR groups, respectively, were 109.1 (66.1), 194.6 (160.4), 271.5 (220.3), and 428.4 (358.4) pg/ml (mean (SD)). Prorenin in the PDR group was remarkably high compared with the control and no-DR groups (p<0.0001) and with the no-PDR group (p = 0.002). Serum levels of prorenin increased with increasingly severe retinopathy. No correlation was found between the prorenin level and the duration of disease or HbA_1c.

Conclusions: The serum levels of prorenin in patients with PDR were found to be markedly high using the AAD-PR assay. Increased levels of prorenin in diabetes may have an important role in the pathogenesis of DR.

Abbreviations: AAD-PR, antibody activating direct prorenin; DR, diabetic retinopathy; PDR, proliferative diabetic retinopathy; RAS, renin-angiotensin system

Keywords: antibody activating direct prorenin assay; diabetes; diabetic retinopathy; prorenin; renin-angiotensin system

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