Inflammatory and neuroimmune imbalance in diabetic incontinence: insights from serum biomarker profiling.
Albaz. Ali Can AC; Kosova. Funda F; Temeltaş. Gökhan G; Üçer. Oktay O; Müezzi̇noğlu. Talha T
Key Findings
- LL‑37 levels were similar across diabetic urinary incontinence, non‑diabetic urinary incontinence, and healthy controls.
- 4‑HNE, a marker of oxidative stress, was lower in the diabetic urinary incontinence group compared to the other groups.
- No other measured biomarkers (elafin, vitamin D receptor, amyloid‑β1‑42) showed significant differences after statistical correction.
Practical Outcomes
- For self‑directed health optimizers, this study does not provide any new actionable advice about using LL‑37 or related supplements for urinary incontinence or diabetes. The findings are primarily observational and suggest that LL‑37 is not a useful target for intervention in this condition at this time.
Summary
A study measured several blood proteins, including the antimicrobial peptide LL‑37, in people with diabetes‑related urinary leakage, people with leakage but no diabetes, and healthy volunteers. Only one marker, a lipid‑peroxidation product called 4‑HNE, was lower in the diabetic group; LL‑37 and the other proteins showed no meaningful differences.
Abstract
Diabetic urinary incontinence is a multifactorial condition involving neuropathy, oxidative stress, and epithelial dysfunction. Serum biomarkers-cathelicidin (LL-37), elafin, vitamin D receptor (VDR), 4-hydroxynonenal (4-HNE), and amyloid-β1-42 (Aβ1-42) may provide insight into underlying mechanisms. We conducted a cross-sectional, single-centre observational study including 120 adults: type II diabetes with urinary incontinence (DI; n = 40), non-diabetic urinary incontinence (Non-DI; n = 40), and healthy controls (n = 40). Serum biomarker levels were measured by ELISA. Group differences were analysed using Kruskal-Wallis, with pairwise Mann-Whitney U tests and Bonferroni adjustment (m = 3) where appropriate. Among profiled biomarkers, 4-HNE was lower in DI than in both Non-DI and controls, while LL-37, elafin, VDR, and Aβ1-42 showed no Bonferroni-corrected pairwise differences. In diabetic urinary incontinence, 4-HNE showed the most consistent group-level separation-lower in DI compared with both Non-DI and healthy controls-whereas LL-37, elafin, VDR, and Aβ1-42 did not demonstrate Bonferroni-corrected pairwise differences. These preliminary findings highlight oxidative and neuroimmune alterations in diabetic incontinence and warrant validation in larger longitudinal studies.
Study Information
pubmed
2025
2025-11-26T00:00:00.000Z
10.1186/s12894-025-01992-4
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