Plasma visfatin concentrations in severely obese subjects are increased after intestinal bypass.
OBJECTIVE
Visfatin has shown to be increased in obesity and in type 2 diabetes. The aim of this study was to determine the change in plasma visfatin in severely obese (SO) persons after weight loss following bariatric surgery in relation to glucose concentration.


METHODS
Visfatin and leptin were studied in 53 SO persons (BMI, 54.4 +/- 6.8 kg/m(2)) before and 7 months after bariatric surgery and in 28 healthy persons (BMI, 26.8 +/- 3.8 kg/m(2)). All of the patients underwent bariatric surgery with biliopancreatic diversion or gastric bypass.


RESULTS
The pre-surgery levels of visfatin in the SO group were greater than in the control group (55.9 +/- 39.9 vs. 42.9 +/- 16.6 ng/mL, p = 0.024). This increase was significant in the SO group with impaired fasting glucose (63.4 +/- 36.6 ng/mL) and diabetes (60.0 +/- 46.0 ng/mL). SO patients with normal fasting glucose had similar levels of visfatin to the controls. Seven months after surgery, visfatin levels were significantly increased (84.8 +/- 32.8 ng/mL, p < 0.001). This increase was independent of the pre-surgical glucose levels. The type of bariatric surgery had no influence on visfatin levels. Post-surgical visfatin was significantly correlated with the post-surgery plasma concentrations of leptin (r = 0.39, p = 0.014).


CONCLUSIONS
Plasma levels of visfatin in the SO group were increased but only when accompanied by high glucose levels, even in the range of impaired fasting glucose. Bariatric surgery causes an increase in visfatin, which is correlated mainly with the changes produced in the leptin concentration.
García-Fuentes
Eduardo
E
Fundación Instituto Mediterraneo para el Avance de la Biomedicina y la Investigación Biosanitaria (IMABIS), Málaga, Spain. edugf1@eresmas.com
García-Almeida
Jose M
JM
García-Arnés
Juan
J
García-Serrano
Sara
S
Rivas-Marín
Jose
J
Gallego-Perales
Jose L
JL
Rojo-Martínez
Gemma
G
Garrido-Sánchez
Lourdes
L
Bermudez-Silva
Francisco J
FJ
Rodríguez de Fonseca
Fernando
F
Soriguer
Federico
F
D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007581:Jejunoileal Bypass; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D054409:Nicotinamide Phosphoribosyltransferase / Q000097:blood*; D009767:Obesity, Morbid / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D015431:Weight Loss
D054409:Nicotinamide Phosphoribosyltransferase