"Satiety molecules" - nesfatin-1 and glucagon-like peptide 1 in blood serum in patients with anorexia nervosa and obesity

Abstract

Introduction: Nesfatin-1 (NESF-1) is a neuropeptide occurring in the central nervous system and peripheral tissues. Strongly associated with anxiety, it regulates glucose levels and is a negative modulator of food intake. Intracerebroventricularly injected nesfatin-1 in experimental animals inhibits food intake, whereas administration of a NESF-1 neutralizing antibody stimulates their appetite. Glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1), a gastrointestinal ormone released ca. 15-30 min. after a meal, demonstrates incretin properties. Peripheral administration of GLP-1 stimulates the secretion of gastric acid, slows down the emptying of the stomach, and reduces the feeling of hunger and the quantity of food ingested by the obese population.

Material and methods: A review of the medical database PubMed was carried out covering the years 1990-2024 in terms of blood concentrations of nesfatin-1 and GLP-1 in patients suffering from anorexia nervosa and simple obesity and the role of these hormones in the etiopathogenesis of the eating disorders referred to above.

Results: Based on the review of the available literature, it was noted that concentrations of NESF-1 in blood serum are reduced in the group of adult patients with anorexia nervosa (AN) and higher in the group of obese patients, in comparison to a control group of individuals with normal body weight. Findings of research on blood concentrations of GLP-1 in adult subjects with AN are divergent - they point to higher, reduced, or not significantly different GLP-1 levels as compared to the control group. According to the studies, in obese subjects basal GLP-1 levels in blood do not differ significantly from those of subjects with normal body weight, whereas after a meal or glucose administration they are significantly reduced compared to obese subjects.

Conclusions: Nesfatin-1 and GLP-1 are associated with eating disorders, although their role has not been fully clarified so far. Regulation of concentrations of these peptides is assumed to be important in adaptation processes of an organism to deficient and excessive body weight or to play a role in the etiopathogenesis of anorexia nervosa and obesity.

Keywords: GLP-1; anorexia nervosa; anxiety; appetite-regulating hormones; eating-related disorders; nesfatin-1; neuropeptides; obesity.