Abstract: Objective  To evaluate the association between serum testosterone level and the lipid profile, after adjusting for some traditional confounding factors and thyroid function. Methods  The total testosterone (TT), follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) of 125 male patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) were measured. Testosterone secretion index (TSI) was calculated by dividing TT by LH. Bivariate and partial correlation analysis, and multiple linear regression analysis were performed to explore the association between TT level and lipid levels. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was adopted to compare the lipid levels among four subgroups which were divided by quartile of TT (Group A: TT < 3.93ng/mL, Group B: TT 3.93-5.09ng/mL, Group C: TT 5.10-6.58ng/mL, and Group D: TT > 6.58ng/mL). Results  TT was negatively correlated with TG (P<0.05), and positively correlated with HDL-C (P<0.05) while TSI was negatively correlated with TG (P<0.05) in correlation analysis and multiple linear regression analysis. Compared with the group with the lowest TT level (group A), TG level was significantly lower in groups B, C and D, and HDL-C was significantly higher in groups C and D (P<0.05). Conclusion  Serum TT was negatively correlated with TG and positively correlated with HDL-C in male T2DM patients, suggesting that serum testosterone might be a protective factor for dyslipidemia in these patients.

Key words: Type 2 diabetes mellitus, Total testosterone, Triglycerides, Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, High-density lipoprotein cholesterol, Total cholesterol