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Biomarkers in Diabetes Mellitus: From Discovery to Clinical Application

A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Pathology, Diagnostics, and Therapeutics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2025 | Viewed by 520

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Medical Biochemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Belgrade, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
Interests: lipids; lipoproteins; atherosclerosis; diabetes; biomarkers; laboratory diagnostics; medical biochemistry
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Medical Biochemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Belgrade, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
Interests: lipoprotein metabolism; cholesterol homeostasis; non-cholesterol sterols; sphingolipids; lipid biomarkers; dyslipidemia in pregnancy
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Diabetes mellitus remains a significant global health challenge, characterized by rising prevalence and a substantial healthcare burden due to associated complications. Given the heterogeneous nature and multifactorial pathogenesis of diabetes, there is a critical need for accurate diagnostic and prognostic tools to improve patient outcomes. In this context, biomarkers play a pivotal role by enabling early detection, risk stratification, personalized therapeutic strategies and effective disease progression monitoring and treatment responses.

This Special Issue aims to highlight the latest advances in the discovery, validation and clinical translation of biomarkers associated with diabetes and its complications. We invite submissions of original research articles and review papers on genetic and biochemical biomarkers, particularly those that reflect the distinct molecular profiles of type 1, type 2 and gestational diabetes. We especially encourage contributions focused on predictive and prognostic biomarkers of microvascular and macrovascular diabetes complications. Submissions employing advanced molecular approaches, including lipidomics, transcriptomics, metabolomics and integrated multi-omics strategies, are highly welcome. We are also interested in translational and clinical research that explores the application of biomarkers in real-world healthcare settings, especially those that inform therapeutic decision making, as well as studies that support the integration of molecular biomarkers into precision medicine frameworks. We look forward to your valuable contributions.

Prof. Dr. Jelena Vekic
Prof. Dr. Aleksandra Zeljkovic
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • diabetes mellitus
  • biomarkers
  • diabetes complications
  • omics technologies
  • risk stratification
  • therapeutic response
  • personalized medicine

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

18 pages, 389 KiB  
Article
Global DNA Methylation in Poorly Controlled Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: Association with Redox and Inflammatory Biomarkers
by Sanja Vujcic, Jelena Kotur-Stevuljevic, Zoran Vujcic, Sanja Stojanovic, Teodora Beljic Zivkovic, Miljanka Vuksanovic, Milica Marjanovic Petkovic, Iva Perovic Blagojevic, Branka Koprivica-Uzelac, Sanja Ilic-Mijailovic, Manfredi Rizzo, Aleksandra Zeljkovic, Tatjana Stefanovic, Srecko Bosic and Jelena Vekic
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2025, 26(14), 6716; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms26146716 - 13 Jul 2025
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Abstract
Although emerging evidence suggests that epigenetic mechanisms contribute to the pathogenesis and progression of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), data remain limited for patients with suboptimal metabolic control. The aim of this study was to assess global DNA methylation in patients with poorly [...] Read more.
Although emerging evidence suggests that epigenetic mechanisms contribute to the pathogenesis and progression of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), data remain limited for patients with suboptimal metabolic control. The aim of this study was to assess global DNA methylation in patients with poorly controlled T2DM and to identify diabetes-related factors associated with DNA methylation levels. The study included 107 patients and 50 healthy controls. Global DNA methylation (5mC) was measured by UHPLC-DAD method. Pro-oxidant and antioxidant biomarkers, advanced glycation end-products, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) and complete blood count were determined and leukocyte indices calculated. Patients had a significantly lower 5mC than controls (3.56 ± 0.31% vs. 4.00 ± 0.68%; p < 0.001), with further reductions observed in those with longer disease duration and diabetic foot ulcers. Oxidative stress and inflammatory biomarkers were higher in the patient group. DNA hypomethylation was associated with a higher monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio and hsCRP, pro-oxidant–antioxidant balance, ischemia-modified albumin, and advanced oxidation protein products levels. Conversely, 5mC levels showed positive correlations with total antioxidant status and total sulfhydryl groups. Principal component analysis identified five key factors: proinflammatory, pro-oxidant, aging, hyperglycemic, and antioxidant. The pro-oxidant factor emerged as the sole independent predictor of global DNA hypomethylation in T2DM (OR = 2.294; p = 0.027). Our results indicate that global DNA hypomethylation could be a biomarker of T2DM progression, reflecting the complex interactions between oxidative stress, inflammation, and epigenetic modifications in T2DM. Full article
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