Expression of Beclin1 and LC3 in diabetic kidney disease and significance

Objective To explore the expression level and significance of autophagy related molecules Beclin1 and LC3 in the serum of patients with type 2 diabetic kidney disease.Methods We selected 123 patients with diabetic kidney disease treated in Yichang Second People's Hospital during the period of January 2006 to June 2016. The patients were grouped according to the ratio of urinary albumin to creatinine (ACR):normal urinary albumin group (ACR <30 mg/g), microalbuminuria group (30 mg/g300 mg/g). Forty-eight physical examination volunteers served as the control group. The relevant data of all the subjects were obtained and venous blood was collected. The level of Beclin1 and LC3 was detected by ELISA. The variance analysis was used to compare the differences between groups. The Pearson method was used to analyze the correlation.Results There was no significant difference in ACR between the control group and the normal urinary albumin group (P>0.05), and ACR in the microalbuminuria group, the large albuminuria group and the normal urinary albumin group was significantly higher than that in the control group (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in UAlb among the four groups (P<0.05). There was significant difference in the level of Beclin1 and LC3 among the four groups (P<0.05), and the difference between each two groups was significant (P<0.05). UAlb level in the control group was the highest, and that in the large albuminuria group was the lowest. The correlation analysis revealed that both Beclin1 and LC3 were inversely proportional to the serum levels of ACR, and UAlb in DKD patients in different groups.Conclusions There are autophagy reactions in the pathogenesis of diabetic kidney disease, and enhancement of autophagy may play a role in inhibiting proteinuria in diabetic kidney disease.