Association of Serum Hydrogen Sulphide Levels and Dyslipidaemia: A Cross-sectional Study

Abstract

Introduction: Dyslipidaemia is an important risk factor for coronary artery disease. Oxidative damage to plasma lipoproteins ultimately results in the development of atherosclerosis. Since Hydrogen Sulphide (H2S) is a cytoprotective molecule in oxidative stress, decreased H2S levels may be a cause of dyslipidaemia. Aim: To determine the relationship between the serum levels of H2S with serum Triglycerides (TG), Total Cholesterol (TC), and High-density Lipoprotein Cholesterol (HDL-C) in cases of dyslipidaemia. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted between December 2022 and June 2023 in the Departments of Biochemistry and Medicine at KPC Medical College, Jadavpur, Kolkata, West Bengal, India. Serum lipid profile {TC, TGs, HDL-C, and Low-density Lipoprotein Cholesterol (LDL-C) (calculated by Friedewald’s equation)} and serum H2S were measured in 70 cases of dyslipidaemia {according to National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) Adult Treatment Panel III (ATP III) criteria} aged between 30 to 80 years and compared with an equal number of healthy volunteers as controls. The means of continuous variables were compared by independent t-tests and Mann-Whitney U tests. The Chi-square test was applied to compare gender distribution. Pearson’s and Spearman’s correlation coefficients were calculated for normal and non normal distributions, respectively. Results: The mean age of dyslipidaemic patients (54.54 years±11.19) was significantly (p=0.0017) higher than that of the controls (47.02 years±16.18). Among the 70 cases of dyslipidaemia, 38 participants were male and 32 were female, while among the healthy controls (n=70), 42 participants were male and 28 were female. The serum H2S levels in cases of dyslipidaemia (37.91±6.28 μmol/L) were significantly lower than in the healthy controls (58.52±12.92, p<0.01 μmol/L). A significant positive correlation was found between serum H2S levels and HDL-cholesterol (r=0.81, p<0.001), whereas a negative correlation was found between serum H2S and TG levels (r=-0.55, p<0.001). Conclusion: In the present study, dyslipidaemia was associated with decreased levels of serum H2S. Serum H2S was positively correlated with serum HDL and negatively correlated with serum TG levels.

Keywords

• atherosclerosis
• body mass index
• high-density lipoprotein cholesterol
• reactive oxygen species
• triglycerides