Effect of thyroid dysfunction on apoptosis markers: Caspase-3 and Bcl-2 among Iraqi patients

Thyroid hormones are considered vital for cellular life history starting from its proliferation, differentiation, and ending up with its apoptosis. However, there are very limited human studies concerning the effect of thyroid dysfunction on the levels of apoptosis markers. Therefore, the aim of this cross-sectional study was to examine the effect of thyroid dysfunction (hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism) on the levels of serum caspase-3, B-cell lymphoma (Bcl-2) and thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) among patients in Babylon, Iraq. The study included 52 male patients (aged 25-50 years) with thyroid dysfunction, visited the Endocrinology center in Al-imam al-Sadiq hospital located in Babylon province, Iraq during the period from November 2023 to May 2024. Patients were split into two groups (patients with hypothyroidism, N=26; patients with hyperthyroidism, N=26), in addition to 26 subjects without thyroid dysfunction as a control group. Levels of serum caspase-3, Bcl-2, and TSH were measured in all study subjects. The results indicated that levels of serum caspase-3 were significantly increased in both patients' groups compared to the control group (p < 0.001), while serum Bcl-2 was significantly increased in patients with hypothyroidism compared to other study groups (p < 0.001). Levels of TSH were significantly greater among patients with hypothyroidism comparing to other groups (p < 0.001). It can be concluded that patients with hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism enhance apoptosis through activation of caspase-3 specifically.