The role of oxidative stress on subclinical atherosclerosis in premature ovarian insufficiency and relationship with carotid intima-media thickness.

Objective: We aimed to investigate the relationship between oxidative stress (OS) and subclinical atherosclerosis in patients with premature ovarian insufficiency (POI), by analyzing the dynamic thiol/disulfide homeostasis (TDH) parameters as an OS marker and carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT). Materials and methods : A total of 69 women, 34 with POI and 35 healthy controls were included in this prospective cross-sectional study. TDH parameters (plasma native thiol, total thiol, disulfide, disulfide/native thiol, native thiol/total thiol, and disulfide/total thiol ratios) and CIMT were measured and compared between the two groups. Results: In primary ovarian insufficiency group, native thiol ( p =.009) and total thiol ( p =.010) levels were significantly decreased, and CIMT values were significantly increased ( p = <.001). CIMT values were negatively correlated with native thiol ( r =-0.553, p =.001) and total thiol levels ( r =-0.565, p =.001); and positively correlated with age ( r  = 0.457, p =.007), BMI ( r  = 0.408, p =.017), and total cholesterol ( r  = 0.605, p <.001) in POI group. Conclusions: Decreased native thiol and total thiol levels demonstrate the defective anti-oxidant mechanism in POI. Negative correlation between native thiol, total thiol levels, and CIMT means the presence of abnormal anti-oxidant mechanisms may play a role in the development of subclinical atherosclerosis in patients with POI. This is a novel report on the mechanism of subclinical atherosclerosis in women with POI, which needs to be supported with further studies evaluating the pathophysiology of OS.