Diagnostic Potential of Dp‐ucMGP as a Biomarker for Early Detection of Diabetic Kidney Disease in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Cross‐Sectional Study

ABSTRACT Aim The limited evidence reports the relationship between plasma dephosphorylated uncarboxylated matrix Gla protein (dp‐ucMGP) and Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) in patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM). Therefore, the present study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic potential of dp‐ucMGP in DKD among T2DM patients. Method This cross‐sectional study was conducted from December 2023 to January 2025, including 75 T2DM patients. Participants were classified into three groups based on urinary albumin‐to‐creatinine ratio (UACR): Normoalbuminuria, microalbuminuria, and macroalbuminuria with n = 25 in each group. Pearson correlation analysis was performed to assess the relationship between dp‐ucMGP and other biochemical parameters. Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used to evaluate the diagnostic potential of dp‐ucMGP for early detection of DKD. A p value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results The plasma dp‐ucMGP levels were significantly higher in T2DM patients in the macroalbuminuria group, with a mean of 1069.86 ± 417.56 pmol/L, followed by the microalbuminuria (842.72 ± 342.02 pmol/L) and normoalbuminuria (586.38 ± 336.15 pmol/L) groups. Similarly, higher dp‐ucMGP levels were observed in patients with DKD severity stage IV (1401.53 ± 401.49 pmol/L). A negative correlation with eGFR ( r = −0.807, p < 0.0001) and a positive correlation with age, serum creatinine, UACR, blood urea, uric acid and triglycerides were observed. The area under the curve (AUC) was 0.913 (95% CI: 0.820–0.960; p < 0.0001) for dp‐ucMGP. Conclusion In conclusion, our findings revealed that plasma dp‐ucMGP could be a potential biomarker to predict the early detection of DKD in patients with T2DM.