Original Article
Relationship between plasma adropin levels and body composition and lipid characteristics amongst young adolescents in Taiwan

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.orcp.2017.03.001Get rights and content

Summary

Adropin is a 76 amino acid peptide hormone with a molecular weight of 4999.9 Da that may be associated with energy homeostasis, insulin resistance and lipid metabolism in mice and human. There is only a few studies that examine plasma adropin levels and body composition in children. This study is to evaluate the relationship between plasma adropin levels, body composition and lipid variables amongst young adolescents in Taiwan.

We examined 492 adolescents (269 females and 223 males) ranging from 12 to 15 years old, with a mean age of 13.6 years. Body composition was measured using impedance method by Tanita-BC418. Plasma lipid variables were measured using standard methods and plasma adropin levels were measured using the ELISA method.

There was no significant difference in plasma adropin levels between males and females (3.52 vs. 3.58 ng/ml). Plasma adropin levels were negatively correlated with fat free mass (r = −0.12, p < 0.01). More interestingly, children with higher plasma adropin levels had lower waist-to-hip ratios (WHR) and lower body fat percentage by mass. Furthermore, there is no difference in lipid profiles in high vs. low adropin subjects.

Plasma adropin levels are not consistency associated with body composition and no association with lipid variables amongst Taiwanese adolescents. The role of adropin in the development of obesity is still not clear, and further studies are need especially for children.

Introduction

The secreted peptide adropin is a 76 amino acid peptide hormone with a molecular weight of 4999.9 Da which is a product of the Energy Homeostasis Associated (Enho) Gene mainly synthesised in the liver and brain. Adropine may be associated with energy homeostasis, glucose and lipid metabolism, and insulin sensitivity in humans [1], [2], [3], [4]. More interestingly, recently reviews indicated that plasma adropin may play a certain role in cardiovascular disease and central nervous system disorders [5], [6], [7].

Adropin was identified during an investigation on obese insulin resistant mice as a novel factor linking signals of nutrient intake with metabolic homeostasis [3]. The analysis of adropin regulation and action in mouse models suggested that it involved in metabolic homeostasis. A role for adropin in metabolic homeostasis is supported by the observation that therapy using synthetic peptide or transgenic over-expression improves glucose homeostasis, fatty liver, and dyslipidemia amongst those subjects [3]. The presence of adropin in the central nervous system suggests an additional role as a neuropeptide; it is possible that adropin also has autocrine/paracrine roles [6].

In animal studies, the results have been contradicting in determining an association between adropin deficiency and increased in adiposity in mice [8]. However, other study demonstrated that intraperitoneal administration of adropin for 10 days may decrease serum triglyceride, total cholesterol and LDL-C levels in hyperlipidemia rats. It is also with a significant reduction in blood glucose, serum insulin levels and HOMA-IR [9].

Amongst childhood, the roles of adropin levels on childhood obesity and lipid metabolism are inconsistent. One study demonstrated that serum adropin levels were lower in obese children [4]. However, other studies demonstrated there is no association between plasma adropin level, obesity, metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance on normal and obese children [10]. The serum adropin levels were significantly lower in obese adolescent with fatty liver disease when compared to those without fatty liver disease or normal weight controls [11].

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the relationship between plasma adropin levels and body composition amongst adolescents that will further analyse the role of plasma adropin in relation to the development of obesity amongst adolescents.

Section snippets

Study design and sampling method

The Taitung Children Heart Study was conducted in Taitung County, Taiwan. This area encompasses approximately 3515 km2 and has a 13–15 year-old student population of 8000. This study was a cross-sectional study from April 2013 to March 2014 investigating the prevalence and trend of obesity, hypertension, and their relationship with hyperleptinemia and leptin resistance amongst adolescents in Taitung. This study was approved by the Institutional Review Board (IRB) of the Taoyuan General Hospital

Results

Table 1 shows the anthropometric and lipid characteristics of the study population separated by gender. When compared to the females, the males had a higher mean body weight, but lower percentage of fat mass. There was no difference in plasma adropin levels between males and females (3.52 vs. 3.58 ng/ml).

Plasma adropin levels were determined to be high or low using a cut-off plasma adropin level of 3.5 ng/ml. The prevalence of high adropin level in this study population is shown in Table 2. The

Discussion

In this study, we found that plasma adropin levels might be associated with body composition amongst Taiwanese young adolescents. There was a positive association between plasma adropin and body fat, while plasma adropin and fat free mass are negatively associated. There is no difference in lipid profiles in high vs. low adropin subjects and no association between plasma adropin and lipid variables amongst Taiwanese adolescents. However, the role of adropin in energy homeostasis and lipid

Acknowledgment

This study supported by the Tri-Service General Hospital (Grant TSGH-C103-143) is gratefully acknowledgement.

References (26)

  • C. Kocaoglu et al.

    Are obesity and metabolic syndrome associated with plasma adropin levels in children?

    J Pediatr Endocrinol Metab

    (2015)
  • O. Sayın et al.

    Investigation of adropin and leptin levels in pediatric obesity-related nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

    J Pediatr Endocrinol Metab

    (2014)
  • I. Beghin et al.

    A guide to nutritional assessment

    (1988)
  • Cited by (14)

    • Lower adropin expression is associated with oxidative stress and severity of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

      2020, Free Radical Biology and Medicine
      Citation Excerpt :

      The relationship between adropin and metabolic diseases has been confirmed by many studies. Epidemiological studies have shown that serum adropin levels are significantly lower in metabolic diseases, such as coronary heart disease [8], diabetes [9], and obesity [10]. A study has shown that mutation of the Cys56Trp adropin gene is the cause of familial diabetes and pancreatic steatosis [11].

    • Low plasma adropin concentrations increase risks of weight gain and metabolic dysregulation in response to a high-sugar diet in male nonhuman primates

      2019, Journal of Biological Chemistry
      Citation Excerpt :

      A “TOFI” (thin-outside–fat-inside) phenotype would also be consistent with insulin resistance (58). High plasma adropin concentrations are associated with a leaner phenotype in young men; however, this association is not observed later in life (8, 59). Whether low plasma adropin levels signal increased visceral fat accumulation in rhesus macaques, or in young adult humans, will require further study.

    View all citing articles on Scopus
    View full text