Skin Autofluorescence Assessment of Advanced Glycation End Products in Rheumatic Diseases

January 8, 2026 updated by: Taner Dandinoğlu, Bursa City Hospital

Evaluation of Advanced Glycation End Products Accumulation in Rheumatic Diseases Using Non-Invasive Skin Autofluorescence Measurements

Rheumatic diseases are chronic inflammatory conditions that can lead to long-term tissue damage and increased cardiovascular and metabolic risk. Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) are harmful molecules that accumulate in the body over time and are known to promote inflammation and oxidative stress. Increased AGE burden has been implicated in several chronic diseases; however, its role in rheumatic diseases has not been fully clarified.

This observational, cross-sectional study aims to evaluate the accumulation of AGEs in patients with various rheumatic diseases compared with healthy individuals. AGE levels will be assessed non-invasively using skin autofluorescence measurements.

By comparing AGE burden between patients and healthy controls, this study seeks to improve understanding of the potential role of AGEs in the pathophysiology of rheumatic diseases and to explore their usefulness as a non-invasive biomarker in clinical practice.

Study Overview

Status

Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Estimated)

300

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

The study population consists of adult patients aged 18 to 75 years diagnosed with inflammatory rheumatic diseases who are followed at a tertiary rheumatology outpatient clinic, as well as age- and sex-matched healthy volunteers without a history of rheumatic or chronic inflammatory disease. All participants will undergo a single, non-invasive skin autofluorescence measurement to assess advanced glycation end-product (AGE) accumulation.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Age between 18 and 75 years
  • Diagnosis of an inflammatory rheumatic disease (including rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, psoriatic arthritis, reactive arthritis, connective tissue diseases, Behçet disease, familial Mediterranean fever, or crystal arthropathies), confirmed by a rheumatologist
  • Healthy volunteers without a history of rheumatic or chronic inflammatory disease (for the control group)
  • Ability to undergo non-invasive skin autofluorescence measurement
  • Ability and willingness to provide written informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Diagnosis of diabetes mellitus (type 1 or type 2)
  • Chronic kidney disease with estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) < 60 mL/min/1.73 m²
  • Active malignancy or history of malignancy within the past 5 years
  • Presence of acute infection or acute inflammatory condition at the time of assessment
  • Secondary causes of systemic inflammation unrelated to the underlying rheumatic disease (e.g., uncontrolled endocrine disorders, chronic liver disease)
  • Use of medications known to markedly affect AGE accumulation or skin autofluorescence measurements (e.g., recent high-dose systemic glucocorticoids)
  • Pregnancy or breastfeeding
  • Presence of significant skin conditions (e.g., extensive dermatitis, scars, tattoos, or burns) at the measurement site that may interfere with skin autofluorescence assessment
  • Inability to comply with study procedures or to provide informed consent

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
Rheumatic Diseases Group
Patients diagnosed with inflammatory rheumatic diseases undergoing skin autofluorescence measurement.
Healthy Control Group
Age- and sex-matched healthy volunteers without a diagnosis of rheumatic disease.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Skin Autofluorescence-Derived Advanced Glycation End Product Level
Time Frame: Baseline (single study visit)
Advanced glycation end-product (AGE) accumulation assessed non-invasively by skin autofluorescence measurement using a validated AGE Reader device, expressed in arbitrary units (AU).
Baseline (single study visit)

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Comparison of AGE Levels Between Rheumatic Disease Subtypes
Time Frame: Baseline (single study visit)
Comparison of skin autofluorescence-derived advanced glycation end-product (AGE) levels among different rheumatic disease subgroups and healthy controls.
Baseline (single study visit)
Association Between AGE Levels and Inflammatory Markers
Time Frame: Baseline
Association between skin autofluorescence-derived AGE levels and systemic inflammatory markers, including C-reactive protein (CRP) and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR).
Baseline

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Bursa City Hospital

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

January 15, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

January 15, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

April 15, 2027

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

December 28, 2025

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

January 8, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

January 9, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

January 9, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

January 8, 2026

Last Verified

January 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 2026-Rheumatology-1

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

UNDECIDED

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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