Open AccessPlasma Lactoferrin Levels Positively Correlate with Insulin Resistance despite an Inverse Association with Total Adiposity in Lean and Severely Obese Patients
Author(s) -
Sylvain Mayeur,
Alain Veilleux,
Yves Pouliot,
Benoı̂t Lamarche,
JeanFrançois Beaulieu,
FrédéricSimon Hould,
Denis Richard,
André Tchernof,
Émile Lévy
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
plos one
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.99
H-Index - 332
ISSN - 1932-6203
DOI - 10.1371/journal.pone.0166138
Subject(s) - insulin resistance , medicine , body mass index , endocrinology , lactoferrin , cohort , obesity , lean body mass , insulin , homeostatic model assessment , biology , body weight , genetics
Context Lactoferrin (Lf) is an important protein found on mucosal surfaces, within neutrophils and various cells, and in biological fluids. It displays multiple functions, including iron-binding as well as antimicrobial, immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory activities. Although Lf ingestion has been suggested to cause adiposity reduction in murine models and humans, its relationship with insulin resistance (IR) has not been studied thoroughly. Objective To establish the association between circulating Lf levels, glucose status and blood lipid/lipoprotein profile. Methods Two independent cohorts were examined: lean to moderately obese women admitted for gynecological surgery (n = 53) and severely obese subjects undergoing biliopancreatic diversion (n = 62). Results Although body mass index (BMI) and total body fat mass were negatively associated with Lf, IR (assessed by the HOMA-IR index) was positively and independently associated with plasma Lf concentrations of the first cohort of lean to moderately obese women. These observations were validated in the second cohort in view of the positive correlation between plasma Lf concentrations and the HOMA-IR index, but without a significant association with the body mass index (BMI) of severely obese subjects. In subsamples of severely obese subjects matched for sex, age and BMI, but with either relatively low (1.89 ± 0.73) or high (13.77 ± 8.81) IR states (according to HOMA-IR), higher plasma Lf levels were noted in insulin-resistant vs insulin-sensitive subjects ( P <0.05). Finally, Lf levels were significantly higher in lean to moderately obese women than in severely obese subjects ( P <0.05). Conclusion Our findings revealed that plasma Lf levels are strongly associated with IR independently of total adiposity, which suggests an intriguing Lf regulation mechanism in conditions of obesity and IR.