Gharab Karam Mazin, Ahmad Bik Mohammad, Atta Safaa Ehssan, Jawad Ghufran S, Almaghrebi Eissa, Salman Isam Noori, Unlu AIi
National Diabetes Center, Mustansiriyah University, Baghdad, Iraq.
Medical Biochemistry Department, Faculty of Medicine, Selcuk University, Konya, Turkey *Email:
Qatar Med J. 2025 Jun 11;2025(2):39. doi: 10.5339/qmj.2025.39. eCollection 2025.
Prothymosin alpha (PTMα) is a small acidic polypeptide from the thymosin family with immune activity and protective properties against oxidative stress induced by reactive oxygen species trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO), produced in the liver from gut bacterial metabolite trimethylamine and associated with increased cardiovascular disease risk and higher all-cause mortality. Ischemia-modified albumin (IMA) is a significant oxidative stress biomarker, particularly in ischemia-reperfusion conditions. This study investigates PTMα, TMAO, and IMA levels in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients, both with and without hyperlipidemia, to explore their relationships and their potential role as biomarkers or therapeutic targets. The study received ethical approval from the Selcuk University Faculty of Medicine Hospital committee under approval number 2024/33. The study included male and female T2DM patients aged 30-60, with 30 having hyperlipidemia and the rest being non-lipemic. TMAO was performed using API 3200 LC-MS\MS while PTMα was analyzed using an ELISA kit from BT LAB, serum IMA levels were evaluated by the spectrophotometric method. Comparisons were made between those with T2DM and control groups. In the T2DM group, PTMα was significantly higher in females ( = 0.047), while TMAO and IMA showed no significant gender difference. The control group had no significant differences in PTMα, TMAO, and IMA levels. Comparisons among healthy controls, non-lipemic T2DM patients, and hyperlipidemic T2DM patients revealed significantly decreased PTMα levels with no change in IMA levels across groups. In contrast, TMAO was significantly higher in the patient group. The findings of this study have potential implications for the field, suggesting that PTMα might serve as a prognostic indicator for T2DM and that reduced TMAO levels might play a role in T2DM pathogenesis, opening up new avenues for research and treatment.
前胸腺素α（PTMα）是胸腺素家族中的一种小酸性多肽，具有免疫活性和对活性氧三甲胺 - N - 氧化物（TMAO）诱导的氧化应激的保护特性，TMAO由肠道细菌代谢产物三甲胺在肝脏中产生，与心血管疾病风险增加和全因死亡率升高相关。缺血修饰白蛋白（IMA）是一种重要的氧化应激生物标志物，特别是在缺血再灌注条件下。本研究调查了2型糖尿病（T2DM）患者（无论有无高脂血症）的PTMα、TMAO和IMA水平，以探讨它们之间的关系以及它们作为生物标志物或治疗靶点的潜在作用。该研究获得了塞尔丘克大学医学院医院委员会的伦理批准，批准号为2024/33。该研究纳入了年龄在30 - 60岁的男性和女性T2DM患者，其中30例患有高脂血症，其余为非脂血症患者。使用API 3200 LC - MS\MS检测TMAO，使用BT LAB的ELISA试剂盒分析PTMα，采用分光光度法评估血清IMA水平。对T2DM患者组和对照组进行了比较。在T2DM组中，女性的PTMα显著更高（ = 0.047），而TMAO和IMA没有显著的性别差异。对照组的PTMα、TMAO和IMA水平没有显著差异。对健康对照组、非脂血症T2DM患者和高脂血症T2DM患者进行比较发现，各组间PTMα水平显著降低，IMA水平无变化。相比之下，患者组的TMAO显著更高。本研究结果对该领域具有潜在意义，表明PTMα可能作为T2DM的预后指标，降低TMAO水平可能在T2DM发病机制中起作用，为研究和治疗开辟了新途径。
