Decreased Circulating Levels of Asprosin in Obese Children

Abstract

Background: Circulating asprosin is a newly discovered adipokine that triggers the release of hepatic glucose stores and increases appetite. Asprosin levels are elevated in adult obese men as well as in mice, and reductions in asprosin protect against the hyperinsulinism associated with metabolic syndrome in mice with diet-induced obesity, which indicates a potential therapeutic role of asprosin in obesity and type 2 diabetes. Objectives: Few data on asprosin in children are available, which is why this study aimed to assess concentrations of fasting asprosin, as well as its relationship to parameters of glucose and lipid metabolism, in children. Methods: Data on clinical and metabolic parameters were collected from 40 healthy normal-weight and 47 obese children. Circulating asprosin levels were measured using an ELISA. Results: The concentrations of fasting asprosin were lower in the obese children (9.24 ± 4.11 ng/mL) than in the normal-weight controls (12.33 ± 4.18 ng/mL, p < 0.001). When comparing the two groups by sex, both the boys and the girls showed similar trends. In within-group comparison, the asprosin levels were lower in boys than in girls only in the obese group (8.13 ± 4.10 vs. 10.61 ± 3.78 ng/mL, p = 0.013) but not in the control group. Interestingly, asprosin was correlated with ALT after adjusting for age and sex in all participants; in boys, asprosin was correlated with BMI, HOMA-IR, insulin, and HDL after adjusting for age. Conclusions: Concentrations of asprosin were significantly lower in obese children than in normal-weight children, and there was a gender difference in asprosin concentration. Our results suggest a complex role for asprosin in energy metabolism.

Increased serum circulating asprosin levels in children with obesity

“…In our study, we found that serum asprosin levels were significantly higher in obese children compared with normal weight controls. As previously reported by Long et al we found a gender difference in terms of asprosin levels . We also compared serum asprosin and other variables between boys and girls and found that there was no difference in terms of serum asprosin levels.…”

“…They also reported that asprosin was correlated with BMI, HOMA‐IR, insulin, and HDL after adjusting for age in boys. They concluded that there was a gender difference in terms of serum asprosin levels . In our study, we found that serum asprosin levels were significantly higher in obese children compared with normal weight controls.…”

“…There is only The study by Long et al is the only one that compared serum asprosin levels in children with and without obesity. They found that the asprosin levels were decreased in obese children …”

Asprosin: A Novel Player in Metabolic Diseases

“…Another cross-sectional study showed that serum asprosin concentrations markedly decreased in obese 6-to 14-year-old children compared to healthy normal-weight children. Asprosin was negatively associated with BMI if adjusted for age and sex, which is not consistent with the results of the previously mentioned studies; this indicates the complex role of asprosin in obesity (27).…”

Serum Asprosin Level in Different Subtypes of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: A Cross-sectional Study

“…The olfactory receptor OLFR734 specifically binds with asprosin to modulate hepatic glucose production [8]. Several recent studies have shown that asprosin correlated with obesity in children and adults, T2DM and PCOS [9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16].…”