Plasma Phospholipids are Associated with Mild Cognitive Impairment in Type 2 Diabetic Patients

Background: Phospholipids and their metabolisms are closely allied to nosogenesis and aggravation of Type 2 diabetes mellitus and cognitive impairment. The aim of this study is to characterize the plasma levels of phospholipids in type 2 diabetes patients and type 2 diabetes patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and to identify potential biomarkers of type 2 diabetes patients with MCI. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, a total of 374 type 2 diabetes patients were prospectively enrolled. There were 103 patients with MCI and 271 patients without MCI. Plasma levels of lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) and phospholipids with solubility similar to that of LPA (PSS-LPA) were assayed. Results: Plasma LPA and PSS-LPA levels were significantly higher in patients with MCI than those without MCI (P = 0.007, P < 0.001). A logistic regression analysis indicates that elevated plasma PSSLPA was associated with increased risk of MCI in type 2 diabetic patients, with an OR of 1.87 (1.04-3.47) after additional adjustment for hyperlipidemia, hypertension, High-sensitivity C-reactive protein, hemoglobin A1c, Intima-media thickness, ankle brachial index, and brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity. In type 2 diabetic patients with MCI, there were negative correlations between plasma LPA, PSS-LPA and the MoCA scores (r =0.322, P < 0.01; r =0.349, P < 0.001). Furthermore, plasma PSS-LPA exhibited a fair diagnostic value for MCI, with an area under the curve of 0.86. Conclusion: The level of plasma PSS-LPA may be an important biomarker for diagnosis of MCI.