Assessment of IGFBP-1 and FABP-4 Levels in Iraqi Diabetic Patients with Nephropathy as Potential Biomarkers for the Disease Progression

Authors

• Hala Baher, Department of Basic Science, College of Dentistry, Ibn Sina University of Medical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Baghdad, Iraq AND Department of Chemistry, College of Science for Women, University of Baghdad, Baghdad, IraqFollow
• Kadhim K. Ghudhaib, Department of Chemistry, College of Science for Women, University of Baghdad, Baghdad, IraqFollow
• Ali Abdulmajid Dyab Allawi, Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Baghdad, Baghdad, IraqFollow
• Ammar Yasir Abdulrahman, Department of Basic Science, College of Dentistry, Ibn Sina University of Medical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Baghdad, IraqFollow

Abstract

Diabetes mellitus is a major cause of kidney failure and diabetic nephropathy, making early detection of renal complications an important clinical concern. This study aimed to evaluate the metabolic regulators insulin-like growth factor-binding protein-1 (IGFBP-1) and fatty acid-binding protein-4 (FABP-4) as potential biomarkers for the early detection and monitoring of diabetic nephropathy progression. The study included 75 diabetic patients aged 35–65 years who attended Medical City between February and September 2023. Patients were divided into three groups based on the albumin-to-creatinine ratio: normoalbuminuria, microalbuminuria, and macroalbuminuria, with 25 patients in each group. A control group consisted of 50 healthy individuals. Serum urea, fasting blood sugar, lipid profile, uric acid, and creatinine were measured using spectrophotometric methods, while IGFBP-1 and FABP-4 levels were determined using the ELISA technique. Estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was also calculated. The results showed significantly higher IGFBP-1 and FABP-4 levels in all diabetic nephropathy groups than in healthy controls (p = 0.0001). ROC analysis demonstrated excellent diagnostic performance of IGFBP-1 in microalbuminuria (AUC = 0.995) and FABP-4 in macroalbuminuria (AUC = 0.997). Urea, creatinine, uric acid, and lipid parameters, except HDL, blood glucose, and HbA1c, were also significantly elevated in patients, whereas eGFR was significantly reduced (p = 0.0001). In conclusion, IGFBP-1 and FABP-4 showed high diagnostic sensitivity and may serve as potential biomarkers for the early detection and monitoring of diabetic nephropathy progression in Iraqi patients.

Keywords

Albumin-to-creatinine ratio, Diabetic nephropathy, Estimated glomerular filtration rate, Fatty acid binding protein-4 insulin-like growth factor binding protein

Subject Area

Chemistry

Article Type

Article

First Page

3561

Last Page

3570

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

How to Cite this Article

Baher, Hala; Ghudhaib, Kadhim K.; Allawi, Ali Abdulmajid Dyab; and Abdulrahman, Ammar Yasir (2026) "Assessment of IGFBP-1 and FABP-4 Levels in Iraqi Diabetic Patients with Nephropathy as Potential Biomarkers for the Disease Progression," Baghdad Science Journal: Vol. 23: Iss. 10, Article 11.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.21123/2411-7986.5431