Purpose: Angiopoietin-like proteins (Angptls) play critical roles in biological processes, primarily in lipid metabolism. The functional state of the thyroid has a profound influence on metabolism in the human body. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate possible changes in serum Angptl3, 4, and 8 levels in hypothyroid patients.
Methods: The study included 29 patients with clinical hypothyroidism, 30 patients with subclinical hypothyroidism, and 29 healthy subjects. Baseline clinical indices, including serum thyroid function tests, were recorded and serum Angptl3, 4, and 8 levels were measured across the three groups.
Results: Serum Angptl3 and 8 levels were significantly higher in the hypothyroid groups compared to the control group (p < 0.05). There were no differences in Angptl4 levels among the three groups (p > 0.05). Positive correlations were identified between Angptl3 and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (r = 0.431, p < 0.001), and there was a negative correlation between Angptl3 and total tri-iodothyronine (TT3) (r = -0.220, p = 0.047) and free tri-iodothyronine (r = - 0.279, p = 0.013) levels. Angptl8 was positively correlated with triglyceride (r = 0.267, p = 0.012) and cholesterol levels (r= 0.235, p = 0.028) but was negatively correlated with tri-iodothyronine (r = -0.24, p = 0.031). Furthermore, we used receiver operating characteristic curve analysis to evaluate the diagnostic performance of Angptl3 and 8 in discriminating thyroid dysfunction. The area under curve for detecting thyroid dysfunction based on Angptl3 and Angptl8 was 0.763.
Conclusions: Our data show that serum Angptl3 and 8 levels are increased in clinical and subclinical hypothyroid patients and that Angptl3 and 8 may serve as possible biomarkers of hypothyroid disease.