Serum klotho protein levels and their correlations with the progression of type 2 diabetes mellitus

Abstract Aim To investigate the associations of serum α-Klotho and β-Klotho levels with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) progression. Methods We evaluated 106 healthy controls and 261 cases of T2DM with or without diabetic complications (range: 45–84 years). Serum α-Klotho and β-Klotho levels were analyzed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Results Compared to the healthy controls, α-Klotho and β-Klotho levels were significantly lower among patients with T2DM and with or without diabetic complications (P  Conclusions Serum levels of α-Klotho and β-Klotho are down-regulated in patients with T2DM. Thus, these proteins may participate in the pathological mechanism of diabetes, and the positive correlation of α-Klotho and β-Klotho levels indicates that they might have similar mechanisms in T2DM.