Myokine-adipokine cross-talk: potential mechanisms for the association between plasma irisin and adipokines and cardiometabolic risk factors in Mexican children with obesity and the metabolic syndrome

Adrian M Gonzalez-Gil; Mariana Peschard-Franco; Elena C Castillo; Gustavo Gutierrez-DelBosque; Victor Treviño; Christian Silva-Platas; Luisa Perez-Villarreal; Gerardo Garcia-Rivas; Leticia Elizondo-Montemayor

doi:10.1186/s13098-019-0458-2

Myokine-adipokine cross-talk: potential mechanisms for the association between plasma irisin and adipokines and cardiometabolic risk factors in Mexican children with obesity and the metabolic syndrome

Diabetol Metab Syndr. 2019 Aug 5:11:63. doi: 10.1186/s13098-019-0458-2. eCollection 2019.

Authors

Adrian M Gonzalez-Gil^{1

2}, Mariana Peschard-Franco^{1

2}, Elena C Castillo^{1

3}, Gustavo Gutierrez-DelBosque^{1

2}, Victor Treviño¹, Christian Silva-Platas^{1

3}, Luisa Perez-Villarreal^{1

2}, Gerardo Garcia-Rivas^{1

3}, Leticia Elizondo-Montemayor^{1

2

3}

Affiliations

¹ 1Escuela de Medicina y Ciencias de la Salud, Tecnologico de Monterrey, Ave. Morones Prieto 3000, 64710 Monterrey, N.L. Mexico.
² 2Center for Research in Clinical Nutrition and Obesity, Tecnologico de Monterrey, Ave. Morones Prieto 300, 64710 Monterrey, N.L. Mexico.
³ 3Cardiovascular and Metabolomics Research Group, Hospital Zambrano Hellion, Tecnologico de Monterrey, 66278 San Pedro Garza Garcia, P.C. Mexico.

Abstract

Background: Adipokines and the myokine irisin, involved in mechanisms associated with obesity and metabolic syndrome (MS), are understudied in the pediatric population.

Objective: To investigate the relationship between irisin, and leptin, resistin, adiponectin, adipsin, anthropometric and cardiovascular risk factors in Mexican children.

Methods: A cross-sample of 126 Mexican children aged 6-12 years old were classified as normal weight (n = 46), obese (n = 40), and MS (n = 40) according to CDC's and Cook's age-modified criteria for obesity and MS. Anthropometric parameters and blood pressure were determined and percentiles calculated for age and gender. Irisin, leptin, adiponectin, adipsin, resistin, triglycerides, glucose, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c) levels, and physical activity were determined. Statistical tests for differences between groups, correlation, and multiple regression analyses were performed.

Results: Irisin plasma levels were significantly lower in the obese (6.08 [4.68-6.65]) and MS groups (6.46 [5.74-7.02]) compared with the normal-weight group (8.05 [7.24-8.94]) (p < 0.001). Irisin levels were not influenced by age or gender, but significant dispersion was observed in obese girls (95% CI median [2.29-6.30]). Leptin, resistin, and adipsin levels were significantly increased in the obese and MS groups. Lean-fat ratio was significantly higher in the NW group. Irisin correlated negatively with leptin (- 0.310), resistin (- 0.389), adipsin (- 0.362), BMI% (-0.472), WC% (- 0.453), BMI z-score (- 0.496), fat free mass (- 0.257), fat percentage (- 0.532), fat mass (- 0.515), triglycerides (- 0.291), the number of cardiometabolic risk factors (- 0.443) (p < 0.001); positively with lean-fat ratio (0.489) and HDL-c (0.328) (p < 0.001) and none with physical activity (p < 0.001). Following stepwise multiple linear regression analysis, the lean-fat ratio was the only determinant of irisin levels (B = 1.168, p < 0.001).

Conclusions: Lean-fat ratio, more than the absolute amount of muscle or fat mass, as well as potential myokine-adipokine cross-talk mechanisms may explain the lower irisin levels in children with obesity and MS, through blunted compensatory responses interfering with tissue-dependent irisin secretion, contributing to a continuous deleterious effect cycle.

Keywords: Adipokines; Cardiovascular disease; Children; Inflammatory cytokines; Insulin resistance; Irisin; Leptin; Metabolic syndrome; Obesity; Pediatric.