Serum Pentosidine Level in Healthy Ageing and Its Association with Age-Related Disease

Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) arise from non-enzymatic reactions between extracellular proteins and glucose. AGEs’ formation occurs during normal ageing but distinctly accelerate with the progression of chronic disease. Pentosidine is a very sensitive marker for all AGEs. We investigated whether serum pentosidine was increased and correlated with healthy elderly individuals (80–102 years) and the disease groups (hypertension 60–77 years; and coronary artery disease 60–77 years). Measurement of serum pentosidine levels in healthy elderly individuals is n = 38, hypertensive patients n = 38, and coronary artery diseases n = 31(treated with drugs). Drugs for the treatment of CAD work as inhibitors of advanced glycation end products. Serum levels of pentosidine are measured by using sandwich ELISA. Serum pentosidine concentrations were significantly higher in hypertensive patients (1910.5 ± 302.6 pmol/ml) in comparison with healthy elderly individuals (1605.1 ± 596.5 pmol/ml) as well as in coronary artery disease (1495 ± 531.8 pmol/ml), p = .002. Within the age-dependent serum concentration of pentosidine was higher (2148.5 ± 209.8) p = 0.988 in hypertension (˃ 70 years). A multiple linear stepwise regression analysis concludes that in patients with hypertension, serum pentosidine was significantly influenced with the age (standardized β = 0.440, 95%CI: 5.49–30.05, p = .006). The receiver operating characteristic curves for the presence of hypertension diagnosis had an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.675; (95% CI: 0.575–0.775, p = .003). The optimal cutoff value of pentosidine was 1120 pmol/ml with 97.4% sensitivity and 76.8% specificity. Serum pentosidine is significantly associated with hypertension in the study group also within their age group. It may be due to atherosclerosis and arterial stiffness.