Urine 6-sulfatoxymelatonin levels are inversely associated with arterial stiffness in post-menopausal women.
OBJECTIVE
The secretion of melatonin, a pleiotropic hormone mainly synthesized by the pineal gland, typically decreases with age and may be associated with the development of aging-related pathologic conditions such as cardiovascular disease. Atherosclerosis is an aging-related disease, the pathogenesis of which involves chronic inflammation and increased oxidative stress. Since melatonin has both anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, it may be associated with atherosclerosis. Therefore, we investigated the relationship between urine concentrations of 6-sulfatoxymelatonin (aMT6s) and arterial stiffness in post-menopausal women.


METHODS
A total of 66 post-menopausal women participated in the study. Melatonin secretion was estimated by measuring aMT6s levels in first morning urine samples. The cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI) was used as an indicator of arterial stiffness.


RESULTS
Estimated mean CAVI decreased gradually with increasing aMT6s quartiles. The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the fourth aMT6s quartile was associated with a high CAVI with an adjusted odds ratio of 0.03 (95% confidence interval, 0.01-0.47).


CONCLUSIONS
Our study revealed an inverse relationship between urine aMT6s and arterial stiffness as determined by CAVI. Although it is impossible to determine causality, our results suggest that melatonin may have a beneficial role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. Further prospective studies are required to establish the clinical significance of our study.
Department of Family Medicine, Severance Hospital, Yonsei University, College of Medicine, Yonseiro 50, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul 120-752, Republic of Korea.
Jee-Yon
JY
Lee
Department of Family Medicine, Severance Hospital, Yonsei University, College of Medicine, Yonseiro 50, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul 120-752, Republic of Korea. Electronic address: faith@yuhs.ac.
Duk-Chul
DC
Lee
D000375:Aging; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000652:urine; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008550:Melatonin / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000652:urine; D008875:Middle Aged; D016017:Odds Ratio; D017698:Postmenopause / Q000652:urine; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D059289:Vascular Stiffness
C054513:6-sulfatoxymelatonin; D008550:Melatonin
6-Sulfatoxymelatonin; Arterial stiffness; Atherosclerosis; Melatonin; Menopause