Disrupted thyroid hormone–mitochondrial coupling in diabetic cardiomyopathy: a candidate upstream amplifier of metabolic and redox maladaptation

Abstract

Diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM) is characterized by mitochondrial metabolic inflexibility, redox imbalance and defective organelle quality control, yet the endocrine program coordinating these abnormalities remains incompletely defined. Thyroid hormone (TH) is a major regulator of cardiac energy metabolism and mitochondrial adaptation. In experimental diabetes, myocardial triiodothyronine (T3) can decline despite preserved circulating thyroid hormone concentrations, accompanied by type 3 iodothyronine deiodinase (DIO3) induction and altered TH transport. We propose that this local defect disrupts thyroid hormone-mitochondrial coupling and may thereby constrain adaptation of substrate oxidation, oxidative phosphorylation, redox defense and organelle turnover. Preclinical diabetic-heart studies demonstrate local TH dysregulation and show that appropriately dosed T3 treatment can reverse selected structural and functional abnormalities. Complementary cardiac studies identify mitochondrial biogenesis, reactive oxygen species control, mitophagy and calcium handling as plausible downstream effectors. Together, these findings support impaired local TH signaling as an underrecognized candidate upstream mechanism linking the diabetic endocrine environment to mitochondrial maladaptation. A tissue-specific therapeutic-window model may reconcile the adverse consequences of both deficient and excessive TH signaling while providing a framework for biomarker development, mechanistic testing and precision intervention in DCM.