title: Age-dependent association of serum prolactin with glycaemia and insulin sensitivity in humans.
abstract: The dopamine agonist bromocriptine has been approved for the treatment of type 2 diabetes in the United States. Bromocriptine inhibits prolactin secretion, and patients with hyperprolactinaemia display impaired insulin sensitivity. We therefore hypothesized that low prolactin levels are associated with lower glycaemia and higher insulin sensitivity in healthy subjects. Prolactin levels were determined from fasting serum in participants without diabetes from the cross-sectional Tübingen family study for type 2 diabetes (m/f = 562/1,121, age = 40 ± 13 years, BMI = 30 ± 9 kg/m(2)). A 75 g oral glucose tolerance test was performed, and the area under the glucose curve (AUC(0-120)Glucose) and insulin sensitivity index were calculated. A subgroup (n = 494) underwent hyperinsulinaemic-euglycaemic clamp tests. Prolactin associated positively with insulin sensitivity (p = 0.001, adjusted for gender, age, and BMI). Age strongly interacted (p < 0.0001) with the effect of prolactin on insulin sensitivity, inverting the positive relationship to a negative one in younger participants. Glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) and AUC(0-120)Glucose correlated negatively with prolactin, and an interaction with age was found as well. Higher prolactin levels are associated with improved insulin sensitivity and lower glucose in individuals without diabetes. This relationship turns to its opposite in younger persons. As prolactin is a proxy for the dopaminergic tone in the central nervous system, these associations may indicate an age-dependent influence of the brain on peripheral insulin sensitivity.
authors.affiliation: Division of Endocrinology, Diabetology, Nephrology, Vascular Disease and Clinical Chemistry, Department of Internal Medicine, Eberhard Karls University, Otfried-Müller-Str. 10, 72076, Tübingen, Germany.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wagner
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Heni
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Linder
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ketterer
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Peter
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Böhm
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Hatziagelaki
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Stefan
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Staiger
authors.forename: H-U
authors.initials: HU
authors.lastname: Häring
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fritsche
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000378:metabolism*; D001837:Body Weights and Measures; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology; D005192:Family Health; D005215:Fasting / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D005951:Glucose Tolerance Test; D006801:Humans; D007333:Insulin Resistance; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011388:Prolactin / Q000097:blood*; D012307:Risk Factors
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D011388:Prolactin