High Plasma Branched-Chain Amino Acids Are Associated with Higher Risk of Post-Transplant Diabetes Mellitus in Renal Transplant Recipients

• Main Authors: Maryse C. J. Osté, Jose L. Flores-Guerrero, Eke G. Gruppen, Lyanne M. Kieneker, Margery A. Connelly, James D. Otvos, Robin P. F. Dullaart, Stephan J. L. Bakker
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2020-02-01
• Series: Journal of Clinical Medicine
• Subjects: branched chain amino acids; post-transplant diabetes mellitus; biomarker; renal transplant recipients
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0383/9/2/511

Post-transplant diabetes mellitus (PTDM) is a serious complication in renal transplant recipients. Branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) are involved in the pathogenesis of insulin resistance. We determined the association of plasma BCAAs with PTDM and included adult renal transplant recipients (≥18 y) with a functioning graft for ≥1 year in this cross-sectional cohort study with prospective follow-up. Plasma BCAAs were measured in 518 subjects using nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. We excluded subjects with a history of diabetes, leaving 368 non-diabetic renal transplant recipients eligible for analyses. Cox proportional hazards analyses were used to assess the association of BCAAs with the development of PTDM. Mean age was 51.1 ± 13.6 y (53.6% men) and plasma BCAA was 377.6 ± 82.5 µM. During median follow-up of 5.3 (IQR, 4.2–6.0) y, 38 (9.8%) patients developed PTDM. BCAAs were associated with a higher risk of developing PTDM (HR: 1.43, 95% CI 1.08–1.89) per SD change (<i>p</i> = 0.01), independent of age and sex. Adjustment for other potential confounders did not significantly change this association, although adjustment for HbA1c eliminated it. The association was mediated to a considerable extent (53%) by HbA1c. The association was also modified by HbA1c; BCAAs were only associated with renal transplant recipients without prediabetes (HbA1c &lt; 5.7%). In conclusion, high concentrations of plasma BCAAs are associated with developing PTDM in renal transplant recipients. Alterations in BCAAs may represent an early predictive biomarker for PTDM.