Circulating obestatin levels correlate with fasting insulin and HOMA-IR but not with hypertension in elderly men

Cell Biochem Biophys. 2014 May;69(1):89-92. doi: 10.1007/s12013-013-9772-8.

Abstract

Obestatin, encoded by the same gene as ghrelin, was first described as a physiological opponent of ghrelin. The association between circulating obestatin levels and blood pressure remains unclear. Furthermore, adequate information is non-existent regarding the older male population with hypertension. For this purpose, we enrolled 185 unrelated hypertensive male patients aged ≥ 80 years (range 80-102 years). One hundred seventy nine age-matched healthy subjects served as controls. Plasma levels of obestatin and insulin were measured using commercial ELISA and RIA. HOMA-IR was calculated using standard method. We found that plasma obestatin levels correlated significantly with insulin levels (P = 0.034) and homeostasis model assessment index for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR: P = 0.028). However, plasma obestatin differed non-significantly between hypertensive (5.06 ± 0.68 ng/mL) and non-hypertensive (4.72 ± 0.82 ng/mL) individuals. Plasma obestatin levels were not associated with systolic (P = 0.818) or diastolic (P = 0.564) blood pressure, waist-to-hip ratio (WHR: P = 0.725), uric acid (P = 0.603), total cholesterol (TC: P = 0.589), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C: P = 0.057); high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C: P = 0.432), triglyceride (TG: P = 0.418), and fasting blood glucose (FBG: P = 0.101). We, therefore, concluded that fasting circulating obestatin levels did not directly correlate with blood pressure in men aged ≥ 80 years.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Blood Glucose / metabolism
  • Blood Pressure
  • Case-Control Studies
  • Cholesterol, HDL / blood
  • Cholesterol, LDL / blood
  • Ghrelin / blood*
  • Humans
  • Hypertension / blood*
  • Hypertension / physiopathology
  • Insulin / blood*
  • Insulin Resistance
  • Male
  • Triglycerides / blood
  • Waist-Hip Ratio

Substances

  • Blood Glucose
  • Cholesterol, HDL
  • Cholesterol, LDL
  • Ghrelin
  • Insulin
  • Triglycerides
  • obestatin, human