Chromogranin A as biomarker in diabetes.

Chromogranin A (CgA) is an established plasma marker of neuroendocrine tumors and has been suggested to also have a role as biomarker in other diseases. Whether CgA has any role as biomarker in diabetes is, however, unresolved, but its widespread distribution in the secretory granules in endocrine tissues including beta cells and alpha cells in pancreas, and the metabolic effects of its peptide fragments suggest that CgA may play a pathophysiological role in diabetes, and thus also be a potential diabetes biomarker. In this review, we summarize the available information on CgA and some of its functional post-translational cleavage products in diabetes, followed by a discussion of its potential as a plasma marker in diabetes and the methodological concerns involved.