Department of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Genetic Disorders, Children's Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China.
Department of Emergency Intensive Care Unit, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China.
Ann Nutr Metab. 2019;74(2):125-131. doi: 10.1159/000496459. Epub 2019 Jan 23.
Spexin (SPX) is a novel peptide that has recently emerged as an important regulatory adipokine of obesity and related metabolic disease. Little is known about its role in children. The aim of the current study was to determine the potential role of SPX in obese children and explore its relationships with obesity-related markers, insulin sensitivity and pancreatic β cell function.
We studied the levels of serum SPX in 40 obese and 32 normal weight pre-puberty children (mean age was 8.59 ± 1.82 and 8.15 ± 2.03 years in obesity and control groups respectively). We investigated the levels of body mass index, blood pressure, lipids, glucose, insulin, Homeostasis model assessment for insulin-resistant (HOMA-IR, HOMA for β-cell function [HOMA-β]), insulinogenic index and C-peptide index and analyzed their correlations with SPX levels.
SPX levels were significantly decreased in obese children compared to controls. Moreover, serum SPX levels were lower in IR obese subjects in contrast with the non-IR obese subjects. Serum SPX concentrations correlated negatively and significantly with triglycerides, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, fasting insulin level, HOMA-IR, insulinogenic index, and HOMA-β levels in obese children.
In summary, serum SPX levels significantly decreased in obese children and negatively correlated with insulin resistance and pancreatic β cell function indicators. Therefore, SPX may play a protective role in the process of glucose homeostasis and is closely related to β cell function in obese children.
Spexin (SPX) 是一种新型肽，最近被认为是肥胖和相关代谢疾病的重要调节脂肪因子。关于其在儿童中的作用知之甚少。本研究旨在确定 SPX 在肥胖儿童中的潜在作用，并探讨其与肥胖相关标志物、胰岛素敏感性和胰岛β细胞功能的关系。
我们研究了 40 名肥胖和 32 名正常体重青春期前儿童（肥胖组和对照组的平均年龄分别为 8.59±1.82 和 8.15±2.03 岁）血清 SPX 水平。我们调查了体重指数、血压、血脂、血糖、胰岛素、胰岛素抵抗的稳态模型评估（HOMA-IR，胰岛β细胞功能的 HOMA 指数[HOMA-β]）、胰岛素原指数和 C 肽指数，并分析了它们与 SPX 水平的相关性。
与对照组相比，肥胖儿童的 SPX 水平显著降低。此外，与非胰岛素抵抗肥胖患者相比，胰岛素抵抗肥胖患者的血清 SPX 水平更低。肥胖儿童的血清 SPX 浓度与甘油三酯、收缩压、舒张压、空腹胰岛素水平、HOMA-IR、胰岛素原指数和 HOMA-β 水平呈负相关且显著相关。
综上所述，肥胖儿童血清 SPX 水平显著降低，与胰岛素抵抗和胰岛β细胞功能指标呈负相关。因此，SPX 可能在葡萄糖稳态过程中发挥保护作用，与肥胖儿童的胰岛β细胞功能密切相关。
