Plasma obestatin concentrations are negatively correlated with body mass index, insulin resistance index, and plasma leptin concentrations in obesity and anorexia nervosa.
BACKGROUND
Obestatin is a recently identified ghrelin gene product that was reported to inhibit appetite and gastric motility in contrast to ghrelin. We investigated fasting obestatin and ghrelin levels in patients with obesity and anorexia nervosa.


METHODS
Fasting plasma obestatin, acyl-ghrelin, desacyl-ghrelin, leptin, glucose serum adiponectin, and insulin were measured in 10 obese subjects, 11 restricting-type anorexics, and 11 control subjects.


RESULTS
Obese group had significantly lower levels of obestatin (p < .01), while anorexic group had significantly higher levels (p < .01). Obestatin was negatively correlated with body mass index (BMI) (r = -.74), glucose (r = -.56), insulin (r = -.55), leptin (r = -.66), and also with the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-R) (r = -.49) and was positively correlated with acyl-ghrelin (r = .65) and desacyl-ghrelin (r = .60). No correlation was seen between obestatin and adiponectin, but the latter was negatively correlated with both acyl-ghrelin and desacyl-ghrelin. Desacyl-ghrelin to acyl-ghrelin ratio was significantly different between anorexic and control groups (p < .05), while no difference was seen between obese and control groups.


CONCLUSIONS
Both obestatin and ghrelin are increased in anorexic and decreased in obesity. We suggest that obestatin is a nutritional marker reflecting body adiposity and insulin resistance.
Nakahara
Toshihiro
T
Department of Psychosomatic Medicine, Respiratory and Stress Care Center, Kagoshima University Hospital, Kagoshima-City, Japan. ayanan@m3.kufm.kagoshima-u.ac.jp
Harada
Toshiro
T
Yasuhara
Daisuke
D
Shimada
Nobuhiro
N
Amitani
Haruka
H
Sakoguchi
Takeo
T
Kamiji
Mayra Mayumi
MM
Asakawa
Akihiro
A
Inui
Akio
A
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000856:Anorexia Nervosa / Q000097:blood* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D015992:Body Mass Index; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay / Q000379:methods; D054439:Ghrelin / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D007333:Insulin Resistance / Q000502:physiology*; D020738:Leptin / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000097:blood* / Q000503:physiopathology*
D054439:Ghrelin; D020738:Leptin