Endocrine Abstracts

Screening of 120 adipokines in subcutaneous adipose tissue of patients with growth hormone deficiency reveals changed protein levels

Daniela Gasperikova¹, Jozef Ukropec¹, Adela Penesova¹, Henrike Sell², Martina Skopkova¹, Miroslav Vlcek¹, Zofia Radikova¹, Juraj Koska¹, Vitazoslav Belan³, Mikulas Pura⁴, Peter Vanuga⁴, Juraj Payer⁵, Jurgen Eckel² & Iwar Klimes¹

The role of adipokines and inflammatory cytokines of adipose tissue for development of the growth hormone deficiency (GHD)-related metabolic derangements has not yet been completely understood. Therefore, we screened the protein level of 120 adipokines in subcutaneous adipose tissue (ScAT) of patients with GHD in adulthood.

Subjects and methods: Sixteen GHD (10M/6F) with BMI 27±1.0 kg/m², age 30±2 yrs and sixteen controls matched for BMI, sex and age were included into the study. ScAT biopsies were performed after an overnight fast. Protein expression of adipokines was determined in tissue lysates using the RayBio®Human Cytokine Antibody Array C Series 1000.

Results: GHD subjects had higher waist circumference, circulating hsCRP levels and impaired glucose tolerance (as assessed by oGTT) (P<0.05). From 120 proteins, one showed to have higher (IGFBP-1) and three (BDNF, NT-3, SDF-1) lower levels in ScAT of the GDH subjects in comparison with controls (P<0.05). Majority of the observed changes were related to waist circumference, as became evident when we had separated individuals of both groups according to the IDF criteria (men≥94 cm and female≥80 cm). Interestingly, CNTF, EGF, GDNF, IL-1α, MIP3A, TGFβ1 and GCP2 were elevated, and GM-CSF lowered in parallel with increasing waist circumference selectively in the GHD individuals. On the other hand, HGF and TIMP2 were elevated while IL-7, MIP-3A, GITR, IGF1 SR, IL-17, IL-2Rα, MIP1β and Oncostatin M lowered with increasing waist circumference only in the controls.

Conclusions: Our data provide the first information on specific changes in the ScAT adipokine protein levels in GHD adults. Moreover, they implicate a different regulation of cytokine ScAT levels in a comparable inflammatory setting, i.e. in equally obese subjects who differ in their metabolic status.

Supported by APVV-51-0406/02 and Slovak Diabetes Association. The study was approved by the local Ethics Committee and conforms to the ethical guidelines of the Helsinki Declaration.

Endocrine Abstracts (2007) 14 P22