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. 2020 Mar 26;10(1):5495.
doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-62271-w.

Obestatin and growth hormone reveal the interaction of central obesity and other cardiometabolic risk factors of metabolic syndrome

Angus P Yu  1 , Felix N Ugwu  2 , Bjorn T Tam  3 , Paul H Lee  4 , Vicki Ma  2 , Simon Pang  2 , Angel S Chow  2 , Kenneth K Cheng  2 , Christopher W Lai  5 , Cesar S Wong  2 , Parco M Siu  6
Affiliations

Obestatin and growth hormone reveal the interaction of central obesity and other cardiometabolic risk factors of metabolic syndrome

Angus P Yu et al. Sci Rep. .

Abstract

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a multi-factorial disorder including central obesity (CO), insulin resistance, hyperglycemia, dyslipidemia and hypertension which increases the risk of diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular diseases. CO is considered as an essential component of MetS according to International Diabetes Federation (IDF), which may further modulate distinct signalling pathways compared with the other four MetS risk factors. Given that ghrelin signalling and the growth hormone/insulin-like growth factor-1 (GH/IGF-1) axis regulates energy balance and metabolic homeostasis, this study examined the changes in various ghrelin products and circulating hormones in response to the interaction between CO and other MetS components including blood pressure, fasting blood glucose, triglycerides, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol in 133 Hong Kong Chinese adults. Circulating obestatin and GH were increased and reduced, respectively, by either CO or the other 4-risk factor cluster. These changes were further augmented by the presence of all MetS risk factors. However, changes of ghrelin levels were not mediated by CO but the other MetS risk factors. Our findings suggest that CO does not predict all the dysregulation of signalling pathways in individuals with MetS. Although CO and other MetS may share common signalling targets (i.e., obestatin and GH), CO does not contribute to the perturbation of ghrelin signalling.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Levels of ghrelin gene products in response to CO or the cluster of the other four MetS risk factors alone as well as CO in conjunction with the cluster of the other four MetS risk factors. Unacylated ghrelin, acylated ghrelin and total ghrelin levels of subjects with/without the cluster of four MetS risk factors regardless of the status of CO (RFNO and RFO vs NRFNO and NRFO) (A,D,G). Unacylated ghrelin, acylated ghrelin and total ghrelin levels of subjects with/without CO regardless of the status of the cluster of four MetS risk factors (NRFNO and RFNO vs NRFO and RFO) (B,E,H). Comparison of unacylated ghrelin, acylated ghrelin and total ghrelin levels among subjects with no MetS risk factors, central obese only, the cluster of the other MetS risk factors other than central obese, and all MetS risk factors (C,F,I). Obestatin levels of subjects with/without the cluster of four MetS risk factors regardless of the status of CO (RFNO and RFO vs NRFNO and NRFO) (J). Obestatin levels of subjects with/without CO regardless of the status of the cluster of four MetS risk factors (NRFNO and RFNO vs NRFO and RFO) (K). Comparison of obestatin among subjects with no MetS risk factors (NRFNO), central obese only (NRFO), the cluster of the other MetS risk factors other than central obese (RFNO), and all MetS risk factors (RFO) (L).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Ratios of ghrelin gene products in response to CO or the cluster of the other four MetS risk factors alone as well as CO in conjunction with the cluster of the other four MetS risk factors. The ratios of obestatin/unacylated ghrelin, obestatin/acylated ghrelin and obestatin/total ghrelin of subjects with/without the cluster of four MetS risk factors regardless of the status of CO (RFNO and RFO vs NRFNO and NRFO) (A,D,G). The ratios of obestatin/unacylated ghrelin, obestatin/acylated ghrelin and obestatin/total ghrelin of subjects with/without CO regardless of the status of the cluster of four MetS risk factors (NRFNO and RFNO vs NRFO and RFO) (B,E,H). Comparison of ratios of obestatin/unacylated ghrelin, obestatin/acylated ghrelin and obestatin/total ghrelin among subjects with no MetS risk factors (NRFNO), central obese only (NRFO), the cluster of the other MetS risk factors other than central obese (RFNO), and all MetS risk factors (RFO) (C,F,I).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Levels of nesfatin-1, GH and IGF-1 in response to CO or the cluster of the other four MetS risk factors alone as well as CO in conjunction with the cluster of the other four MetS risk factors. Nesfatin-1 level of subjects with/without the cluster of four MetS risk factors regardless of the status of CO (RFNO and RFO vs NRFNO and NRFO) (A). Nesfatin-1 level of subjects with/without CO regardless of the status of the cluster of four MetS risk factors (NRFNO and RFNO vs NRFO and RFO) (B). Comparison of Nesfatin-1 level among subjects with no MetS risk factors (NRFNO), central obese only (NRFO), the cluster of the other MetS risk factors other than central obese (RFNO), and all MetS risk factors (RFO) (C). Growth hormone level of subjects with/without the cluster of four MetS risk factors regardless of the status of CO (RFNO and RFO vs NRFNO and NRFO) (D). Growth hormone level of subjects with/without CO regardless of the status of the cluster of four MetS risk factors (NRFNO and RFNO vs NRFO and RFO) (E). Comparison of growth hormone level among subjects with no MetS risk factors (NRFNO), central obese only (NRFO), the cluster of the other MetS risk factors other than central obese (RFNO), and all MetS risk factors (RFO) (F). Insulin-like growth factor-1 level of subjects with/without the cluster of four MetS risk factors regardless of the status of CO (RFNO and RFO vs NRFNO and NRFO) (G). Insulin-like growth factor-1 level of subjects with/without CO regardless of the status of the cluster of four MetS risk factors (NRFNO and RFNO vs NRFO and RFO) (H). Comparison of Insulin-like growth factor-1 level among subjects with no MetS risk factors (NRFNO), central obese only (NRFO), the cluster of the other MetS risk factors other than central obese (RFNO), and all MetS risk factors (RFO) (I).
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