Salih, M., Abood, S., Salih, M., AL-Azaawied, A. (2026). Correlation of circulating cell-free mitochondrial DNA levels with TFAM expression and oxidative stress markers during and after migraine attacks in women. , 20(2), 65-72. doi: 10.37652/juaps.2025.164886.1670
Mohammad Mutlag Salih; Shimaa Jumaa Abood; Maan Hasan Salih; Adnan F. AL-Azaawied. "Correlation of circulating cell-free mitochondrial DNA levels with TFAM expression and oxidative stress markers during and after migraine attacks in women". , 20, 2, 2026, 65-72. doi: 10.37652/juaps.2025.164886.1670
Salih, M., Abood, S., Salih, M., AL-Azaawied, A. (2026). 'Correlation of circulating cell-free mitochondrial DNA levels with TFAM expression and oxidative stress markers during and after migraine attacks in women', , 20(2), pp. 65-72. doi: 10.37652/juaps.2025.164886.1670
Salih, M., Abood, S., Salih, M., AL-Azaawied, A. Correlation of circulating cell-free mitochondrial DNA levels with TFAM expression and oxidative stress markers during and after migraine attacks in women. , 2026; 20(2): 65-72. doi: 10.37652/juaps.2025.164886.1670

Correlation of circulating cell-free mitochondrial DNA levels with TFAM expression and oxidative stress markers during and after migraine attacks in women

Journal of University of Anbar for Pure Science
Volume 20, Issue 2, August 2026, Pages 65-72    PDF (1.07 M)
Document Type: Research Paper
DOI: 10.37652/juaps.2025.164886.1670
Authors
Mohammad Mutlag Salih1; Shimaa Jumaa Abood1; Maan Hasan Salih* 2; Adnan F. AL-Azaawied2
1Department of Biology, College of Education for Pure Sciences, University of Tikrit, Tikrit, Iraq
2Department of Biology, College of Science, University of Tikrit, Tikrit, Iraq
Abstract
Migraine is a neurological disorder characterized by intense headaches and affects women more frequently than men. This study aimed to investigate the correlation between cell-free mitochondrial DNA (cf-mtDNA) levels, mitochondrial transcription factor A (TFAM) gene expression, and oxidative stress markers in patients with migraine. The study included a healthy control group (𝑛 = 30) and a patient group (𝑛 = 27), with blood samples collected from patients twice, during and after migraine attacks. Spectrophotometric methods were used to measure malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione (GSH), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) levels. cf-mtDNA levels and TFAM gene expression were assessed using qRT-PCR. MDA levels were significantly higher in migraine patients than in the healthy control group (𝑝 = 0.0108), whereas significant decreases in GSH (𝑝 = 0.0001) and SOD (𝑝 < 0.0001) were observed in migraine patients compared with the healthy control group. In patients with migraine, TFAM gene expression decreased during headache attacks (𝑝 = 0.04) and after headache attacks (𝑝 = 0.054) compared with the control group. cf-mtDNA levels were significantly decreased in migraine patients during headache attacks (𝑝 = 0.041) and after headache attacks (𝑝 = 0.002) compared with the control group. cf-mtDNA showed a weak positive correlation with MDA (π‘Ÿ = 0.2715, 𝑝 = 0.1707) and weak negative correlations with GSH (π‘Ÿ = −0.2207, 𝑝 = 0.3686), SOD (π‘Ÿ = −0.3611, 𝑝 = 0.0642), and TFAM expression (π‘Ÿ = −0.3439, 𝑝 = 0.079). This study revealed a possible role of cf-mtDNA and TFAM gene expression in migraine, suggesting new avenues for understanding the disease.
Keywords
cf_mtDNA; Migraine; Oxidative stress; qRT-PCR; TFAM
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