Relationship between soluble CD40 ligand and gamma-glutamyltransferase concentrations in non-drinking, young type 1 diabetic individuals

Aims: To assess the association between circulating levels of soluble CD40 ligand (sCD40L), an emerging cardiovascular risk factor, and γ-glutamyltransferase (GGT) activity concentrations in Type 1 diabetic subjects. Methods: Plasma concentrations of sCD40L and GGT activity, a marker of liver dysfunction, were measured in 54 non-smoking, non-drinking, young Type 1 diabetic patients, who were free of diagnosed cardiovascular disease. Results: When participants were grouped according to tertiles of GGT, plasma sCD40L concentrations steadily increased across GGT tertiles (P = 0.007 for trend). Similarly, plasma sCD40L concentrations were positively correlated with plasma GGT levels in the whole group of participants (r = 0.532; P < 0.0001). In multivariate linear regression analysis, plasma GGT activity levels were positively associated with sCD40L (standardized beta coefficient = 0.342; P = 0.027) independently of age, gender, diabetes duration, glycated haemoglobin, total cholesterol and systolic blood pressure. Further adjustment for the presence of diabetic retinopathy and microalbuminuria did not appreciably attenuate this association. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that there is a strong, graded, relationship between plasma GGT activity and sCD40L concentrations in non-smoking, non-drinking, young Type 1 diabetic individuals. This association appears to be independent of numerous confounding factors. Further studies are required to confirm the reproducibility of these results.