Catestatin and Advanced Glycation End-Products: Potential Indicators of Cardiovascular Risk in Hashimoto's Thyroiditis

Abstract

Accumulating evidence suggests that overt hypothyroidism is associated with accelerated atherosclerosis, thereby increasing the risk for major cardiovascular events. The present study aimed to investigate the associations between serum catestatin levels and advanced glycation end-products (AGEs), indicators of vascular health, in individuals with Hashimoto's thyroiditis compared to healthy controls. A total of 100 female patients with Hashimoto's thyroiditis and 100 age-matched healthy controls were included in the study. Serum catestatin levels (10.2 (6.5-15.8) vs. 6.4 (4.1-9.3) ng/mL, p < 0.001) and tissue levels of AGEs (2.21 ± 0.55 ng/mL vs. 1.89 ± 0.56, p < 0.001) were both significantly higher in the Hashimoto's group compared to the healthy age-matched controls. A positive correlation was observed between catestatin and AGEs in the overall population (r = 0.489, p < 0.001) and within the Hashimoto's group (r = 0.457, p < 0.001). Additionally, weak positive correlations were noted between catestatin and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, as well as anti-thyroid peroxidase antibodies (r = 0.277, p = 0.005 and r = 0.229, p = 0.024, respectively). All of these associations were confirmed through multivariate analyses. The present analysis indicates that catestatin might be implicated in cardiovascular consequences of Hashimoto's thyroiditis. However, future research should focus on longitudinal studies to explore if the causal relationship exists.

Keywords: Hashimoto’s thyroiditis; advanced glycation end-products; cardiovascular risk; catestatin; endothelial dysfunction.

Figure 1

Serum catestatin levels (A) and AGE levels (B) in Hashimoto (N = 100) and control group (N = 100) participants. * Mann–Whitney test. † t-test for independent samples. Abbreviations: AGEs—advanced glycation end-products.

Figure 2

Distribution of cardiovascular risk categories according to tissue AGEs among patients with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and control subjects. * Chi-squared test. Abbreviations: AGEs—advanced glycation end-products.