Evaluating new biomarkers for diabetic nephropathy: Role of α2-macroglobulin, podocalyxin, α-L-fucosidase, retinol-binding protein-4, and cystatin C

Figure 1 Correlation analysis of biomarkers and clinical indicators in diabetic nephropathy. A: Correlation heatmap of selected biomarkers and clinical indicators, where color intensity reflects correlation strength; deep blue for strong positive and lighter shades for weaker correlations; B: Significance heatmap for biomarker and clinical indicator correlations, with color depth indicating P value magnitude; darker blue for lower P values and higher significance, lighter for higher P values or nonsignificance. α2-MG: α2-macroglobulin; PCX: Podocalysin; AFU: α-L-fucosidase; RBP-4: Retinol binding protein-4; CysC: Cystatin C; UACR: Urinary albumin/creatinine ratio.

Figure 2 Diagnostic performance of biomarkers in early diagnosis of diabetic nephropathy. A: Bar graph comparing area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve values for biomarkers in the diagnosis of diabetic nephropathy; B: ROC curve analysis for individual biomarkers; C: ROC curve analysis for combined biomarkers. ROC: Receiver operating characteristic.

Figure 3 Molecular biomarkers and their role in diagnosing diabetic nephropathy. This figure provides a visual overview of the key molecular biomarkers implicated in diabetic nephropathy, highlighting their significance and potential utility in the early diagnosis and monitoring of the disease. α2-MG: α2-macroglobulin; PCX: Podocalysin; AFU: α-L-fucosidase; RBP-4: Retinol binding protein-4; CysC: Cystatin C; UACR: Urinary albumin/creatinine ratio; DN: Diabetic nephropathy.