Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis. 2025 Nov 26:104473. doi: 10.1016/j.numecd.2025.104473. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND AND AIM: Telomeres, tandem repeats of DNA sequences at the end of eukaryotic chromosomes, are maintained by human Telomerase Reverse Transcriptase (hTERT). Leukocyte telomere length (LTL) has been shown to be a risk marker of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). Fetuin-A, a glycoprotein synthesized in the liver, has also been linked with overproduction of inflammatory cytokines and CVDs. As short LTL and low hTERT have been implicated in the development of atherosclerotic processes, this study explores potential associations between LTL, hTERT and Fetuin-A as disease markers in patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction (AMI).
METHODS AND RESULTS: LTL, hTERT, Fetuin A, and lipid profile were measured in 144 consecutive patients with increased Troponin I and AMI and 192 age and gender matched healthy control subjects. AMI patients had significantly (p < 0.05) shorter LTL and lower hTERT levels compared to controls [0.9 ± 1.1 vs. 4.5 ± 3.9] and [23.0 ± 5.5 ng/ml vs. 32.9 ± 8.9 ng/ml] respectively. Fetuin-A levels were significantly (p < 0.0001) higher in patients with AMI compared to control subjects. LTL correlated negatively with Troponin I and Fetuin-A levels (r = -0.13, p = 0.02, r = -0.36, p = 0.002). hTERT levels showed similar trends. Odds ratio (OR) of having shorter LTL and lower hTERT were 2.1 (95 %CI 1.5-6.2) and 1.6 (95 %CI 1.2-8.8) respectively in patients with AMI compared to control subjects.
CONCLUSIONS: Shorter LTL, lower hTERT and higher Fetuin-A levels are linked to a higher risk of AMI. Estimation of LTL, hTERT and Fetuin-A could be useful adjuncts for the identification of individuals with high risk of CVDs.
PMID:41771729 | DOI:10.1016/j.numecd.2025.104473