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ACTA Pharmaceutica Sciencia
2026 , Vol 64 , Num 2
Serum neprilysin levels in acromegalic patients with and without diabetes mellitus
1 University of Mustansiriyah, College of Medicine, Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Baghdad, Iraq2 Mustansiriyah University, National Diabetes Center, Baghdad, Iraq
DOI : 10.23893/1307-2080.APS6408 Viewed : 255 - Downloaded : 126 Neprilysin is a zinc-dependent membrane metallopeptidase that degrades various bioactive peptides which have been linked to disorders such as obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Acromegaly is characterized by excess growth hormone and insulin resistance; however, neprilysin"s involvement in acromegaly, especially in relation to diabetes, remains unclear. The study aimed to evaluate serum neprilysin levels in acromegalic patients with and without diabetes mellitus and to investigate their associations with glycemic and lipid metabolic markers in a cross-sectional study recruited from the National Diabetes Center (Baghdad, Iraq) between November 2024 and March 2025. Serum neprilysin was measured by ELISA, and standard biochemical tests (GH, IGF-1, glycemic indices, and lipid profile parameters) were performed to assess relevant hormones and metabolic parameters. Acromegalic patients had significantly higher GH and IGF-1 levels and worse glycemic and lipid profiles than controls (p<0.001). However, NEP levels (~110?130 pg/mL) did not differ significantly between the groups (p=0.316). Acromegalic group without diabetes showed a numerically higher NEP level than controls and acromegalic group with diabetes but this difference was not statistically significant. NEP showed significant weak inverse correlations with total cholesterol (r = -0.146, p=0.029), triglycerides (r = -0.199, p=0.008), and VLDL (r = -0.163, p=0.030), but no significant correlation with fasting glucose, HbA1c, GH, or IGF-1. In conclusion, these findings suggest that NEP is not a useful biomarker of diabetes risk or disease activity in acromegaly. Keywords : neprilysin, acromegaly, diabetes mellitus, growth hormone, IGF-1