Hizuka, N., Ishikawa, Y., Fukuda, I., Kurimoto, M., Morita, J., Sata, A., Murakami, Y., Okubo, Y., Yasumoto, Y. and Takano, K.
Department of Medicine, Institute of Clinical Endocrinology, Tokyo Women's Medical University, Tokyo, 162-8666, Japan
AIM
@Adiponectin, an adipocyte-derived plasma protein with insulin-sensitizing and anti-atherosclerotic properties, has been found to be a negative regulator of insulin resistance. Patients with adult growth hormone deficiency (AGHD) have been found to have increased body fat with abdominal preponderance, prevalence of premature atherosclerosis, and mortality from cardiovascular disease. It has been suggested that insulin resistance might play some role in these pathogenesis. Adiponectin is found as two forms in serum, as a lower molecular weight (LMW) form (trimer/hexamer) and a high molecular weight (HMW) complex (12-18 multimer). Recently, it has been reported that serum HMW adiponectin correlates better with glucose tolerance than total serum adiponectin. In the present study, we measured serum HMW adiponectin as well as total adiponectin in patients with AGHD and investigated the relationship between the adiponectin and insulin resistance in these patients.
SUBJECTS AND METHODS
@Sixty patients with AGHD (M/F: 27/33) with a mean age of 42.2}2.0 and 67 normal subjects (M/F: 31/36) with a mean age of 40.7}1.8 were studied. Serum HMW and total adiponectin levels were measured by ELISA (Fujirebio Inc. and Otsuka), respectively.
RESULTS
@Body mass index (BMI) and HOMA-R values in AGHD were 24.0}0.6kg/m2, and 2.8}0.6, respectively. The values were significantly greater than those in normal subjects (21.3}0.3kg/m2, 1.5}0.1). The median values of serum HMW and total adiponectin levels in patients with AGHD were 4.5Ęg/ml and 8.1Ęg/ml, respectively (Fig. 1). The values were significantly lower than those in normal subjects (5.7Ęg/ml, 9.9Ęg/ml). The ratios of HMW/total adiponectin in AGHD did not differ from those in normal subjects. The HMW adiponectin levels inversely correlated with BMI and HOMA-R in both AGHD and normal subjects (Table 1). The HMW adiponectin levels in AGHD more strongly correlated with HOMA-R than in normal subjects. The total adiponectin levels inversely correlated with HOMA-R in AGHD, but not in normal subjects.
CONCLUSIONS @Theses data suggested that serum HMW adiponectin levels were better marker for insulin resistance than total adiponectin in normal subjects. Furthermore, the data demonstrate that the HMW adiponectin as well as total adiponectin might be related with insulin resistance in patients with AGHD.
Fig. 1 Serum total (Total) and high molecular weight (HMW) adiponectin levels in 60 patients with adult GHD and 67 normal subjects.
