Reduced circulating oxytocin and High-Molecular-Weight adiponectin are risk factors for metabolic syndrome

Abstract

The neurohypophysial hormone, oxytocin, is involved in the regulation of energy metabolism. Adiponectin (APN) is an adipose tissue-specific serum protein that inversely associates with metabolic syndrome (MetS). High-molecular-weight adiponectin (HMW APN) is considered the active form. In the present study, we aimed to determine the relationships of oxytocin and HMW APN to MetS and investigate whether or not the combination of oxytocin and HMW APN is associated with further metabolic abnormalities compared to each of them alone. A total of 170 subjects (75 with MetS and 95 non-MetS) were enrolled. Anthropometric parameters, oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), blood lipids, hs-CRP, oxytocin and HMW APN levels were measured. Compared with non-MetS subjects, serum oxytocin and HMW APN levels were significantly lower in subjects with MetS (P<0.01). We then classified the subjects into three groups: high oxytocin and high HMW APN levels (high score group), low oxytocin and low HMW APN levels (low score group) and others. Participants in low score group showed the worst metabolic profiles and were more likely to have MetS compared to the other two group. In Spearman rank correlation coefficient, the classification by the combination of oxytocin and HMW APN was significantly correlated with a larger number of metabolic risk factors compared with classification by each of them alone. Individuals with low circulating oxytocin levels coupled with low HMW APN levels were at significantly increased risk of MetS. The combination of both markers would be useful for identifying MetS high risk patients.

Serum Irisin and Oxytocin Levels as Predictors of Metabolic Parameters in Obese Children

“…In contrast, we found no significant relationship between lipid levels and oxytocin or irisin levels. Very recently, Yuan et al (17) demonstrated that patients with MS had significantly lower oxytocin levels than did patients without MS, which is consistent with our findings. These reports suggest that pro-inflammatory cytokines may be a key factor in the ability of oxytocin to suppress the inflammation seen in MS.…”

“…Few studies have been performed to determine the circulating levels of oxytocin in obese adults (14,15,16,17,42). Conflicting findings exist regarding whether oxytocin levels are increased (42), unchanged (43), or decreased (16,17) in obese adults. Variable sample sizes and different study techniques might be the causes of these differences.…”

“…Few studies have been performed to determine the circulating oxytocin levels in obese adults (14,15,16,17). Moreover, to the best of our knowledge, no study on childhood obesity has investigated the relationship between oxytocin levels and metabolic parameters in children.…”

The Anorexigenic Neural Pathways of Oxytocin and Their Clinical Implication

“…A recent article reported that circulating oxytocin levels are decreased in obesity and type 2 diabetic patients [138,139], HFD-induced obese mice [25], and Zucker fatty rats [38]. This decrease in plasma oxytocin levels may be a result of severe obesity since significant plasma oxytocin degradation was not confirmed in the studies using obese models fed HFD for 8-16 weeks [28,39].…”

Clinical Scenario of the Metabolic Syndrome

“…Adiponectin suppresses glucose production in the liver and enhances fatty acid oxidation in skeletal muscle, resulting in beneficial metabolic sequelae [25]. Adiponectin levels have been shown to be significantly reduced in obesity [26]. With regards to chronic inflammation processes, this peptide is inversely associated with CRP levels independently of all other MeS factors [27].…”