Keywords
Ferroptosis; Melatonin; 5-Hydroxytryptamine; Oxidative Stress; Inflammatory Fibrosis; Diabetic Kidney Disease.
Abstract
Objective: To investigate the expression levels of serum melatonin and 5-hydroxytryptamine in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) patients at different stages of Urinary Albumin-to-Creatinine Ratio (UACR) and varying degrees of urinary transferrin. Furthermore, to analyze the correlation between serum MLT and inflammatory (Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha, TNF-α), fibrotic (Transforming Growth Factor beta, TGF-β) and Ferroptosis Proteins (Ferritin Heavy Chain, FTH; Glutathione Peroxidase 4, GPX4; Malondialdehyde, MDA).
Methods: Divided participants into three groups based on their UACR. Additionally, the participants were stratified based on their urinary transferrin levels. The levels of serum MLT and 5-HT, as well as TNF-α, TGF-β, and FTH, GPX4, MDA were measured and statistically analyzed.
Results: Serum MLT, GPX4 and FTH levels decreased with an increase in UACR (P < 0.001). Ridge regression analysis indicated significant associations between MLT and MDA, TGF-β, TNF-α, FTH, GPX4, UACR and TRU (P < 0.01). Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) analysis demonstrated that MLT had a sensitivity of 0.873 for the diagnosis of Diabetic Kidney Disease (DKD).
Conclusion: In patients with T2DM, serum MLT is associated with UACR levels and inflammatory, fibrotic, and ferroptosis markers. This study suggests that these correlations could have potential implications in the pathophysiology and diagnosis of DKD.
Citation
Zhao M, Jia D, Wang Q, Zhou Y, Dai J et al, (2025) A Clinical Study on the Correlation between Melatonin and Urinary Albumin Excretion Ratios in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus. SM J Endocrinol Metab. 2025;6(1):1021.