Peptide hormone adropin declines as diabetic kidney and heart disease worsen, with high diagnostic accuracy
Serum adropin progressively declined across T2DM severity (0.61 ng/mL vs control), correlating with worsening kidney function, inflammation, and heart failure, with AUC >0.88 for diagnosing DKD and CHF.
Quick Facts
What This Study Found
Adropin: 0.61 ng/mL in T2DM (p significant vs controls). Correlations: HbA1c (r=-0.31), ACR (r=-0.59), CRP (r=-0.37), NT-proBNP (r=-0.44), eGFR (r=+0.31). AUC: DKD 0.946, DKD+CHF 0.965, T2DM+CHF 0.887.
Key Numbers
How They Did This
Observational case-control study. 111 participants in 3 groups. Serum adropin by ELISA. Clinical, biochemical, echocardiographic assessment. ROC analysis.
Why This Research Matters
Adropin could become a single blood test that predicts diabetic kidney and heart complications—two of the most important causes of death in diabetes. Its high diagnostic accuracy suggests clinical utility.
The Bigger Picture
Adropin joins a growing list of peptide biomarkers for cardiorenal-metabolic disease. Its ability to track kidney, heart, and metabolic deterioration simultaneously makes it uniquely valuable for diabetic patients.
What This Study Doesn't Tell Us
Small study (111 participants). Cross-sectional—cannot determine if adropin decline is cause or consequence. Single-center. Adropin assays not yet standardized.
Questions This Raises
- ?Could adropin supplementation prevent diabetic complications?
- ?Should adropin be included in routine diabetic monitoring panels?
- ?Does adropin predict response to cardiorenal-protective drugs?
Trust & Context
- Key Stat:
- AUC 0.965 for DKD+CHF Adropin peptide shows near-perfect diagnostic accuracy for identifying diabetic patients with both kidney disease and heart failure
- Evidence Grade:
- Small case-control study with strong diagnostic performance. Needs replication and prospective validation.
- Study Age:
- Published in 2025.
- Original Title:
- Adropin as a Marker in Type 2 Diabetes: Insights Into Diabetic Kidney Disease and Chronic Heart Failure.
- Published In:
- Cureus, 17(9), e91572 (2025)
- Authors:
- Sonkar, Satyendra K, Agrawal, Madhusudan, Sonkar, Gyanendra K, Bhosale, Vivek, Gautam, Medhavi, Pradhan, Akshay, Kumar, Satish, Bhagchandani, Deepak, Singh, Abhishek
- Database ID:
- RPEP-13656
Evidence Hierarchy
Frequently Asked Questions
What is adropin?
Adropin is a small peptide hormone produced by the liver and brain that helps regulate metabolism and blood vessel function. This study found its blood levels drop as diabetes complications worsen, making it a potential early warning marker for kidney disease and heart failure in diabetic patients.
Could a blood test for adropin help manage diabetes?
Potentially. Adropin showed excellent diagnostic accuracy (>88%) for identifying diabetic patients with kidney disease and/or heart failure. If validated in larger studies, it could become a simple blood test to screen for dangerous diabetes complications before they become severe.
Read More on RethinkPeptides
Related articles coming soon.
Cite This Study
https://rethinkpeptides.com/research/RPEP-13656APA
Sonkar, Satyendra K; Agrawal, Madhusudan; Sonkar, Gyanendra K; Bhosale, Vivek; Gautam, Medhavi; Pradhan, Akshay; Kumar, Satish; Bhagchandani, Deepak; Singh, Abhishek. (2025). Adropin as a Marker in Type 2 Diabetes: Insights Into Diabetic Kidney Disease and Chronic Heart Failure.. Cureus, 17(9), e91572. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.91572
MLA
Sonkar, Satyendra K, et al. "Adropin as a Marker in Type 2 Diabetes: Insights Into Diabetic Kidney Disease and Chronic Heart Failure.." Cureus, 2025. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.91572
RethinkPeptides
RethinkPeptides Research Database. "Adropin as a Marker in Type 2 Diabetes: Insights Into Diabet..." RPEP-13656. Retrieved from https://rethinkpeptides.com/research/sonkar-2025-adropin-as-a-marker
Access the Original Study
Study data sourced from PubMed, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health.
This study breakdown was produced by the RethinkPeptides research team. We analyze and report published research findings without making health recommendations. All interpretations are based solely on the published abstract and study data.