Visfatin--a proinflammatory adipokine-in gallstone disease.
BACKGROUND
Visfatin is increasingly associated with several obesity-related diseases. The study is to evaluate if aberrant expression of circulating visfatin occurs in gallstone disease.


METHODS
An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to examine serum visfatin levels in 79 patients with cholesterol gallstones, 71 with pigment gallstones, and 223 healthy controls. The chemical composition of extracted gallstones was determined by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy.


RESULTS
Serum visfatin levels were markedly elevated in the cholesterol and pigment gallstones in comparison with healthy controls. Furthermore, increased visfatin levels were associated with formation of the cholesterol and pigment gallstones. Intriguingly, a significant positive correlation between serum visfation levels and white cell count was noted in the cholesterol gallstones and controls. Moreover, the positive correlation in the cholesterol gallstones was more significant in the body mass index >/=25 subgroup than in the body mass index <25 subgroup.


CONCLUSIONS
Gallstone disease is associated with altered circulating visfatin. The proinflammatory effect of circulating visfatin in gallstone disease deserves further investigation.
Department of Surgery, Kaohsiung Municipal Hsiao-Kang Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
Shen-Nien
SN
Wang
Yao-Tsung
YT
Yeh
Sen-Teh
ST
Wang
Shih-Chang
SC
Chuang
Chao-Ling
CL
Wang
Ming-Lung
ML
Yu
King-Teh
KT
Lee
D054392:Adipokines / Q000097:blood*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001654:Bile Pigments / Q000378:metabolism; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D017081:Cholecystectomy, Laparoscopic; D002769:Cholelithiasis / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000601:surgery; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000378:metabolism; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D054409:Nicotinamide Phosphoribosyltransferase / Q000097:blood*; D016017:Odds Ratio; D012307:Risk Factors; D017550:Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared
D054392:Adipokines; D001654:Bile Pigments; D015415:Biomarkers; D002784:Cholesterol; D054409:Nicotinamide Phosphoribosyltransferase