Relationship between serum Ficolin-3, SFRP5 levels and diabetic retinopathy in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus

Abstract:

Objective: To explore the relationship between serum Ficolin-3 and secreted frizzled related protein 5 (SFRP5) levels and diabetic retinopathy (DR) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Methods: From May 2023 to May 2025, 108 T2DM patients with concurrent DR admitted to our hospital were included as the DR group and separated into non proliferative group and proliferative group Complying with the severity of DR. Another 108 patients with T2DM alone during the same period were included as the T2DM group. ELISA was used to detect the levels of Ficolin-3 and SFRP5. Pearson method was performed to analyze the correlation between serum Ficolin-3, SFRP5 levels and inflammatory markers in the DR group. Logistic method was performed to explore the relevant influencing factors. Moreover, ROC curve was performed to explore the diagnostic value of serum Ficolin-3 and SFRP5 for concurrent DR in T2DM patients. Results: The DR group had higher serum Ficolin-3, TNF-α, and IL-6 (P<0.05), and lower SFRP5 than the T2DM group (P<0.05). The proliferative group had higher serum Ficolin-3, TNF-α, and IL-6 (P<0.05), and lower SFRP5 than the non proliferative group (P<0.05). Complying with Pearson correlation analysis, serum Ficolin-3 was negatively correlated with SFRP5 (P<0.05), and both were related to TNF-α and IL-6 (P<0.05). Logistic analysis showed that the course of diabetes, SUA, HbA1c, Ficolin-3, TNF-α, and IL-6 were the risk factors for T2DM patients with DR (P<0.05), and SFRP5 was a protective factor (P<0.05). Complying with the ROC curve, the AUC values of serum Ficolin-3 and SFRP5 alone and their combination for diagnosing DR in T2DM patients were 0.774, 0.793, and 0.864, respectively. The AUC of combined diagnosis was better than that of single diagnosis (Z=2.694, Z=2.708, both P<0.05). Conclusion: T2DM patients with concurrent DR have abnormal expression of serum Ficolin-3 and SFRP5 levels. Both are influencing factors of DR, and combined detection can improve the diagnostic value for DR in T2DM patients.