Elevated Plasma Endothelin‐1 is Associated with Reduced Weight Loss Post‐Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy

Abstract

Current research supports that obesity and insulin resistance are positively correlated with plasma endothelin‐1 (ET‐1) levels; however, the mechanisms leading to this increase in ET‐1 are not fully understood. Similarly, while some physiological effects of ET‐1 have been characterized, the full complexity of this hormone has yet to be described in tissues outside of the vascular system. To date, one of the best treatments available for morbid obesity, cardiovascular disease, and metabolic syndrome is bariatric surgery to quickly reduce body fat and the factors associated with obesity‐related disease. We hypothesize that vertical sleeve gastrectomy (VSG) will reduce plasma ET‐1 levels. This was tested by measuring plasma ET‐1 levels from twelve obese patients before VSG, 6 weeks after, and 6 months after surgery. The results indicate that 6 weeks following VSG, plasma ET‐1 levels increased by 24%; however, after 6 months, there was a 27% decrease compared to baseline. Average weight loss in this cohort was 11.3±2.4 percent body weight after 6 weeks and 21.4±5.7 percent body weight after 6 months. Interestingly, we observed an inverse relationship between baseline plasma ET‐1 and percent body weight loss 3 months (R2=0.45, p<0.05) and 6 months (R2=0.49, p=0.01) post bariatric surgery. Our results indicate that VSG reduces plasma ET‐1 levels, a possible mechanism for improved metabolic risk in these patients. These data also suggest that ET‐1 may inhibit weight loss or serve as a predictor of weight loss following bariatric surgery.Support or Funding InformationThis work is supported by NHLBI grant R00 HL127178 to JSS.This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2019 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.

The Pathophysiological Associations Between Obesity, NAFLD, and Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Diseases

“…Moreover, patients with obesity have decreased response to vasodilator agents 152 . Interestingly, bariatric surgery reduces the plasma levels of endothelin 1 in patients with obesity 153 . A combination of several mechanisms seems to be involved in the pathogenesis of endothelial dysfunction in obesity.…”