This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Submit a related Letter to the Editor Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Request Copyright Permission Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by St-Pierre, D. H. Articles by Rabasa-Lhoret, R. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by St-Pierre, D. H. Articles by Rabasa-Lhoret, R. Related Collections Female Endocrinology Metabolism Obesity

Association of Acylated and Nonacylated Ghrelin with Insulin Sensitivity in Overweight and Obese Postmenopausal Women

Département de Nutrition (D.H.S.-P., F.M., J.F., D.M., R.R.-L.) and Médecine (L.C.), Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada H3C 3J7; Département de Kinanthropologie (A.D.K.), Université du Québec à Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada H3C 3P8; Faculté d’Éducation Physique et Sportive (M.B.), Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Québec, Canada J1K 2R1; Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale U680 (J.-P.B.), Faculté de Médecine Saint-Antoine et Service de Biochimie et Hormonologie, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Hôpital Tenon, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, 75020 Paris, France; Centre de Recherche Hôpital Laval (K.C.), Université Laval, Québec, Canada G1K 7P4; and School of Human Kinetics (E.D., P.I.), Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1N 6N5

Address all correspondence and requests for reprints to: Rémi Rabasa-Lhoret, M.D., Ph.D., Faculté de Médecine, Département de Nutrition, Université de Montréal, 2405 Chemin Cote Ste-Catherine, Pavillon Liliane de Stewart, Montréal, Québec, Canada H3T 1A8. E-mail: remi.rabasa-lhoret{at}umontreal.ca.

Objective: Ghrelin [acylated (AG) and nonacylated (NAG)] has been shown to play a pivotal role in the regulation of food intake and insulin sensitivity. It is presently unclear whether variation in insulin sensitivity is related to AG and NAG levels in obese individuals. To address this issue, we determined whether insulin-sensitive overweight or obese (ISO) and insulin-resistant overweight or obese (IRO) individuals display different total ghrelin (TotG), AG, and NAG profiles during a euglycemic/hyperinsulinemic clamp (EHC).

Design: Eighty-nine nondiabetic overweight and obese postmenopausal women underwent EHC to evaluate insulin sensitivity. Body composition and blood lipid profiles were assessed. Subjects within the highest tertile of insulin sensitivity were described as ISO (n = 31), whereas those within the lowest tertile of insulin sensitivity were considered as IRO (n = 29). Plasma TotG, AG, and NAG profiles were assessed by RIA at 0, 60, 160, 170, and 180 min during the EHC.

Results: TotG and NAG levels were significantly decreased for ISO and IRO individuals during the EHC, whereas only ISO subjects displayed a significant reduction of AG concentrations (P < 0.05). AG area under the curve value and the ratio of AG/NAG (fasting and area under the curve) were significantly decreased in ISO individuals. Furthermore, maximal reduction of TotG and AG concentrations was greater in ISO compared with IRO individuals (P < 0.05). Insulin sensitivity was significantly correlated with maximal reduction of TotG (r = 0.36; P < 0.01) and AG (r = 0.36; P < 0.05) concentrations.

Conclusion: The dysregulation of ghrelin secretion profiles during EHC is associated with insulin resistance. AG may contribute to the variation of insulin sensitivity in overweight or obese postmenopausal women.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				R. M Kiewiet, M. O van Aken, K. van der Weerd, P. Uitterlinden, A. P N Themmen, L. J Hofland, Y. B de Rijke, P. J D Delhanty, E. Ghigo, T. Abribat, et al. Effects of acute administration of acylated and unacylated ghrelin on glucose and insulin concentrations in morbidly obese subjects without overt diabetes Eur. J. Endocrinol., October 1, 2009; 161(4): 567 - 573. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				D. H St-Pierre, R. Rabasa-Lhoret, M.-E. Lavoie, A. D Karelis, I. Strychar, E. Doucet, and L. Coderre Fiber intake predicts ghrelin levels in overweight and obese postmenopausal women Eur. J. Endocrinol., July 1, 2009; 161(1): 65 - 72. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				U. Mager, M. Kolehmainen, V. D F de Mello, U. Schwab, D. E Laaksonen, R. Rauramaa, H. Gylling, M. Atalay, L. Pulkkinen, and M. Uusitupa Expression of ghrelin gene in peripheral blood mononuclear cells and plasma ghrelin concentrations in patients with metabolic syndrome. Eur. J. Endocrinol., April 1, 2008; 158(4): 499 - 510. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				R. MacLaren, W. Cui, S. Simard, and K. Cianflone Influence of obesity and insulin sensitivity on insulin signaling genes in human omental and subcutaneous adipose tissue J. Lipid Res., February 1, 2008; 49(2): 308 - 323. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				D. H St-Pierre, J.-P. Bastard, L. Coderre, M. Brochu, A. D Karelis, M.-E. Lavoie, F. Malita, J. Fontaine, D. Mignault, K. Cianflone, et al. Association of acylated ghrelin profiles with chronic inflammatory markers in overweight and obese postmenopausal women: a MONET study Eur. J. Endocrinol., October 1, 2007; 157(4): 419 - 426. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				R. Barazzoni, M. Zanetti, C. Ferreira, P. Vinci, A. Pirulli, M. Mucci, F. Dore, M. Fonda, B. Ciocchi, L. Cattin, et al. Relationships between Desacylated and Acylated Ghrelin and Insulin Sensitivity in the Metabolic Syndrome J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab., October 1, 2007; 92(10): 3935 - 3940. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]