ESPE Abstracts

Background: Progranulin (PGRN) displays pleiotropic biological functions including on early embryogenesis, cell proliferation, lysosomal or neuronal functioning and wound repair, and has been proposed as a biomarker for metabolic diseases. Increased PGRN levels have been reported in type 2 diabetes, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and in preeclampsia associated to placental dysfunction. However, the ontogeny of PGRN concentrations and the potential value of PGRN as indicator or metabolic disturbances in early life has not been explored so far. We longitudinally assessed PGRN concentrations in infants born appropriate- (AGA) or small-for-gestational-age (SGA), the latter being at risk for obesity and type 2 diabetes, especially if they experience an excessive postnatal catch-up in weight and are formula-fed (FF).

Methods: The study population consisted of 183 infants who were exclusively breast-fed [(BF), AGA, n=66; SGA, n=40] or FF (AGA, n=31; SGA, n=46) over the first 4 months of life. Assessments included auxology, fasting glucose, insulin, IGF-1, high-molecular-weight adiponectin, PGRN and body composition (by DXA), at birth, and at age 4 and 12 months.

Results: PGRN levels were low at birth and unaffected by prenatal growth. PGRN concentrations increased at 4 and 12 months, although to a lesser extent in SGA infants, and were unrelated to the mode of feeding. PGRN correlated with markers of adiposity, inflammation and insulin resistance in both AGA and SGA infants, especially in those FF.

Conclusion: The attenuated increase of PGRN levels in SGA infants over the first year of life, along with the association to markers of unhealthy metabolic profile, suggest a role of PGRN to the increased risk for metabolic syndrome in this population.