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. 2022 Aug 2;23(15):8564.
doi: 10.3390/ijms23158564.

Increased LRG1 Levels in Overweight and Obese Adolescents and Its Association with Obesity Markers, Including Leptin, Chemerin, and High Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein

Rashed Alhammad  1 , Mohamed Abu-Farha  2 , Maha M Hammad  2 , Thangavel Alphonse Thanaraj  3 , Arshad Channanath  3 , Nada Alam-Eldin  2 , Reem Al-Sabah  4 , Lemia Shaban  5 , Abdulrahman Alduraywish  6 , Fahd Al-Mulla  3 , Abdur Rahman  5 , Jehad Abubaker  2
Affiliations

Increased LRG1 Levels in Overweight and Obese Adolescents and Its Association with Obesity Markers, Including Leptin, Chemerin, and High Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein

Rashed Alhammad et al. Int J Mol Sci. .

Abstract

Leucine-rich α-2 glycoprotein1 (LRG1) is a member of the leucine-rich repeat (LRR) family that is implicated in multiple diseases, including cancer, aging, and heart failure, as well as diabetes and obesity. LRG1 plays a key role in diet-induced hepatosteatosis and insulin resistance by mediating the crosstalk between adipocytes and hepatocytes. LRG1 also promotes hepatosteatosis by upregulating de novo lipogenesis in the liver and suppressing fatty acid β-oxidation. In this study, we investigated the association of LRG1 with obesity markers, including leptin and other adipokines in adolescents (11−14 years; n = 425). BMI-for-age classification based on WHO growth charts was used to define obesity. Plasma LRG1 was measured by ELISA, while other markers were measured by multiplexing assay. Median (IQR) of LRG1 levels was higher in obese (30 (25, 38) µg/mL) and overweight (30 (24, 39) µg/mL) adolescents, compared to normal-weight participants (27 (22, 35) µg/mL). The highest tertile of LRG1 had an OR [95% CI] of 2.55 [1.44, 4.53] for obesity. LRG1 was positively correlated to plasma levels of high sensitivity c-reactive protein (HsCRP) (ρ = 0.2), leptin (ρ = 0.2), and chemerin (ρ = 0.24) with p < 0.001. Additionally, it was positively associated with plasma level of IL6 (ρ = 0.17) and IL10 (ρ = 0.14) but not TNF-α. In conclusion, LRG1 levels are increased in obese adolescents and are associated with increased levels of adipogenic markers. These results suggest the usefulness of LRG1 as an early biomarker for obesity and its related pathologies in adolescents.

Keywords: Interleukin 6; TNF-α; adolescents; high sensitivity C-reactive protein; leucine-rich α-2 glycoprotein 1; obesity.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript; or in the decision to publish the results.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Distribution of LRG1 plasma level in normal-weight, overweight, and obese adolescents.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Correlation between LRG1 and (A) high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), (B) leptin, and (C) chemerin.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Correlation between LRG1 and (A) IL6, (B) IL10, and (C) TNF-α.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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