title: Plasma somatostatin-like immunoreactivity and somatostatin-28 levels in obese men.
abstract: Somatostatin (SS) impairs nutrient absorption. It has been suggested that hyposomatostatinaemia may be involved in the pathogenesis of obesity. However, data on postprandial SS-like immunoreactivity (SLI) levels in obese subjects are controversial and the levels of SS-28, the main molecular form of circulating SLI in healthy subjects, have not been determined. To characterise the fasting and postprandial plasma pattern of SLI and SS-28 in obese men, we studied eight obese men (age 24-32 yr, BMI 33-42 kg/m2), with normal glucose tolerance test and normal gastric emptying of solids, and eight healthy men (age 24-39 yr, BMI 21-24 kg/m2). Blood samples were taken at regular intervals in fasting conditions and for 2 h after a standard solid-liquid meal (2.3 MJ). Plasma SLI and SS-28 were measured by RIA. Our results showed that fasting and postprandial plasma SLI and SS-28 levels were not significantly different in healthy and obese subjects. In conclusion SS-28 is the predominant form of circulating SLI in obese subjects. The normal pattern of fasting and postprandial plasma SLI and SS-28 levels in such subjects suggests that somatostatin does not have a pathogenetic role in obesity.
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Scienze Mediche, Università di Milano, IRCCS-Ospedale Maggiore di Milano, Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Peracchi
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Carola
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Cavagnini
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Benti
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Bareggi
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Baccalaro
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Basilisco
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015992:Body Mass Index; D005215:Fasting; D005502:Food; D005951:Glucose Tolerance Test; D006801:Humans; D007700:Kinetics; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000097:blood*; D011863:Radioimmunoassay; D013004:Somatostatin / Q000097:blood*; D053561:Somatostatin-28
chemical_list: D013004:Somatostatin; D053561:Somatostatin-28