Relationship of Serum Zinc, Insulin, and C-Peptide in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Treated at a Tertiary Care Cente

Abstract

Pancreatic beta cells have been shown to use zinc in the production and secretion of insulin and C-peptide. It is important to investigate
the potential for a link between these factors, especially in respect to diabetes mellitus. Taking blood levels of Insulin, C-peptide, and
zinc in people with type 2 diabetes, we hoped to analyze this connection in the Indian population. One hundred patients with type 2
diabetes were surveyed cross-sectionally in a tertiary hospital in North India (MMIMSR). Zinc levels were evaluated
spectrophotometrically, whereas C-peptide and insulin levels in the serum were determined using chemiluminescence immunoassay.
Serum C-peptide and insulin levels were both reported to be elevated (2.59 1.45 ng/ml and 11.24 10.57 IU/ml), whereas serum zinc
levels were within reference ranges (97.82 11.27 g/dl). However, zinc levels were shown to have extremely significant inverse
relationships with both serum C-peptide (r=0.649, p0.001) and insulin (r= -0.423, p0.001). Our findings suggest that zinc may have a role
in the etiology and treatment of type 2 DM because of its high correlation with blood insulin and c-peptide levels in these individual