Asprosin: the potential player in combined double diabetes and hypothyroidism

Double diabetes is a term used to describe people with type 1 diabetes who are overweight, show signs of insulin resistance, or have a family history of type 2 diabetes. Asprosin is a novel glucogenic adipokine; Asprosin regulates appetite and glucose metabolism. The study aimed to investigate the level of asprosin in people with double diabetes with and without hypothyroidism and its association with markers of insulin resistance.

This case-control study was conducted in Iraq between March 2022 and January 2023. One hundred sixty participants were enrolled; the selected participants were classified into three age and sex-matched groups. The first group consisted of eighty healthy controls served as the control group. Of eighty participants with newly discovered DD, half (40) have DD alone, and 40 have both DD and hypothyroidism. Serum asprosin, insulin, thyroid, lipid profile, glucose, and glycated hemoglobin were measured. The estimated glucose disposal rate, triglyceride-glucose index, and HOMA-IR were calculated.

Participants with double diabetes had significantly (p ≤ 0.001) greater circulation asprosin levels than subjects in the control group. Comparatively, to double diabetes participants without hypothyroidism, asprosin levels were also higher in double diabetes subjects with hypothyroidism (p ≤ 0.001), and the insulin resistance markers increased in a stepwise way across the asprosin quartiles (p ≤ 0.001). Asprosin significantly correlated with insulin resistance markers, eGDR, plasma glucose, HbA1C, triglycerides, HDL-C, and LDL-C.

Elevated asprosin levels might be a potential biomarker for the alteration in glucose metabolism, insulin resistance, and double diabetes. It may be the missing link between metabolic and endocrine disorders.