Leukocyte Telomere Length and Neuregulin-4 Levels in Female Patients with Acromegaly: The Relationship between Disease Activity and Body Fat Distribution


Coşkun M., Altinova A., Babayeva A., Sel A. T., Yapar D., Karaca M., ...More

JOURNAL OF CLINICAL MEDICINE, vol.12, no.12, 2023 (SCI-Expanded) identifier identifier identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 12 Issue: 12
  • Publication Date: 2023
  • Doi Number: 10.3390/jcm12124108
  • Journal Name: JOURNAL OF CLINICAL MEDICINE
  • Journal Indexes: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, Academic Search Premier, Directory of Open Access Journals
  • Gazi University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

The study aimed to examine leukocyte telomere length (LTL) and serum neuregulin-4 levels and their relationship with disease activity, co-morbidities and body fat distribution in female acromegaly patients. Forty female patients with acromegaly and thirty-nine age and body mass index (BMI) similar healthy female volunteers were included in the study. Patients were classified into two groups: active acromegaly (AA) and controlled acromegaly (CA). The quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method was used to study LTL, and T/S ratio < 1 was accepted as shortened telomere length. Neuregulin-4 was studied by ELISA. There was no difference in median LTL between acromegaly and the control group (p = 0.530). The percentage of T/S < 1 in patients with acromegaly (60.0%) was similar to that of the control group (43.6%) (p = 0.144). However, serum neuregulin-4 was significantly higher in patients with acromegaly than those in the control group (p = 0.037). There were no significant differences concerning LTL, percentage of T/S < 1 and neuregulin-4 levels between active and controlled acromegaly groups (p > 0.05). Neuregulin-4 correlated positively with fasting glucose, triglyceride (TG), triglyceride/glucose (TyG) index, and lean body mass in the acromegaly group. A negative correlation was observed between LTL and neuregulin-4 in the control group (p = 0.039). When the factors affecting neuregulin-4 were evaluated by multivariate linear regression analysis with an enter method, TG (& beta;: 0.316, p = 0.025) was independently and positively associated with neuregulin-4. Our findings indicate that acromegaly is associated with unchanged LTL and high neuregulin-4 levels in female patients. However, the relationship between acromegaly, the aging process, and neuregulin-4 involves complex mechanisms, and further studies are needed.