ESPE2015 Poster Category 2 Fat (64 abstracts)
Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Background: Nesfatin-1, a recently discovered anorexigenic neuropeptide, seems to play an important role in hypothalamic pathways regulating food intake and energy homeostasis.
Objective and hypotheses: The aim of this study is to evaluate the relation of serum nesfatin-1 level with anthropometric and metabolic parameters in children and adolescents.
Method: This study included 78 Korean children and adolescents (42 obese/overweight group and 36 healthy control group). Fasting serum nesfatin-1 was quantitatively assayed by ELISA. Lipid profile, fasting blood glucose, fasting insulin, and the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) were measured as metabolic parameters.
Results: Serum nesfatin-1 was significantly lower in obese/overweight group than in control group (median 1.4 ng/ml vs 2.0 ng/ml; P=0.003). Pubertal subjects had the lower serum nesfatin-1 level than pre-pubertal subjects (median 1.5 ng/ml vs 2.6 ng/ml; P=0.02). Nesfatin-1 level was negatively correlated with BMI SDS (r=−0.26; P=0.02) and chronological age (CA; r=−0.37; P=0.001). The association of BMI SDS with serum nesfatin-1 level was evident among prepubertal subjects (r=−0.38; P=0.04), but it was not evident among pubertal subjects. The negative correlation between CA and serum nesfatin-1 was not evident among prepubertal subjects, but it was evident among pubertal subjects (r=−0.30; P=0.04). Serum nesfatin-1 was not correlated with fasting insulin, HOMA-IR, or lipid profiles.
Conclusion: Our results suggest that serum nesfatin-1 is negatively associated with adiposity and pubertal development during childhood and adolescence.