Newly established LC-MS/MS method for measurement of plasma BH4 as a predictive biomarker for kidney injury in diabetes.

Abstract Objective The clinical research on BH4 is limited because of the difficulties on its measurement. In this study, we used our own established LC-MS/MS method to examine the plasma BH4 levels in diabetes to determine whether it could be used as a biomarker for the prediction of kidney injury in those patients. Methods Hospitalized diabetes patients in Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University from Jan to Aug 2021 were recruited. To assess the association between plasma BH4 with ACR or eGFR in diabetes, a total of 142 patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) were enrolled. They were divided into three groups by albuminuria levels: normoalbuminuria (n = 68), microalbuminuria (n = 48), and macroalbuminuria (n = 26) according to ACR; or into two groups by eGFR: eGFR≥90 or eGFR Results Plasma BH4 concentrations were decreased as ACR progressed. BH4 (r = −0.55, P  Conclusion Our established LC-MS/MS method could be used on human plasma BH4 measurements and our data suggested that BH4 level can be used as a biomarker for kidney injury in diabetes indicated by its association with ACR progression and early renal function decline.