YKL-40: A biomarker for early nephropathy in type 2 diabetic patients and its association with inflammatory cytokines

•YKL-40 also known as chitinase 3-like protein 1 (CHI3L1), is a 40 kDa glycoprotein secreted by neutrophils and activated macrophages.•Persistent micro and macroalbuminuria are well known predictors of diabetic nephropathy leading to progressive end-stage renal disease.•We aimed to measure the circulatory YKL-40 in diabetic subjects with and without diabetic nephropathy and investigated its diagnostic accuracy.•The AUCROC for YKL-40 was found to be high [0.95; (95% CI: 0.88–1.0)], when compared to other acute phase markers.•Plasma YKL-40 could be a potential biomarker for early diagnosis of incipient DN among South Indian population.