The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism Vol. 82, No. 1 123-128
Copyright © 1997 by The Endocrine Society
Abdominal Fat Determines Growth Hormone-Binding Protein Levels in Healthy Nonobese Adults1
Sanne Fisker,
Nina Vahl,
Jens Otto Lunde Jørgensen,
Jens Sandahl Christiansen and
Hans Ørskov
Department of Endocrinology and Diabetes (S.F., N.V., J.O.L.J.,
J.S.C.) and Institute of Experimental Clinical Research (H.O.),
University Hospital of Aarhus, Aarhus, Denmark
Address all correspondence and requests for reprints to: Sanne Fisker, M.D., Department of Endocrinology and Diabetes, Aarhus Kommunehospital, Nørrebrogade 44, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark.
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Abstract
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The circulating high affinity GH-binding protein (GHBP), which derives
from the extracellular domain of the hepatic GH receptor, correlates
inversely to GH levels and directly to body mass index (BMI) in healthy
adults. As GH secretion and adiposity are also interrelated, we tested
the hypothesis that body composition, more than GH, determines GHBP
levels in healthy adults. Forty-two healthy adults [21 females and 21
males; mean age, 39.4 yr range, 2759 yr); mean BMI, 23.9
kg/m2 (range, 18.934.7 kg/m2)], underwent
anthropometric measurements (BMI, W/H ratio, computed tomography scan,
dual energy x-ray absortiometry (DEXA) scan, and bioimpedance) in
addition to two GH stimulation tests (arginine and clonidine) and a
24-h GH profile. By simple linear regression, serum GHBP correlated
positively to several indices of adiposity: intraabdominal fat (r
= 0.537; P = 0.001), sc abdominal fat (r =
0.680; P < 0.001), BMI (r = 0.483;
P = 0.001), W/H ratio (r = 0.452;
P = 0.003), total body fat (DEXA scanning; r =
0.503; P = 0.002), and body fat (bioimpedance;
r = 0.354; P = 0.023). Lean body mass
estimated by DEXA scan was negatively associated with GHBP (r =
0.541; P < 0.001). GHBP was inversely proportional
to arginine-stimulated GH release (r = -0.346;
P = 0.027) and negatively associated with several
measures of spontaneous GH release as estimated by deconvolution
analysis (GH mass, GH production rate, and mean GH; r = -0.371;
P = 0.017, r = -0.393; P
= 0.011, and r = -0.343; P = 0.028,
respectively)). With multiple linear regression analyses, indices of
adiposity were significant determinants of GHBP levels, whereas GH
status did not contribute independently to the prediction of GHBP.
Neither insulin-like growth factor I nor fasting insulin levels
correlated to GHBP levels.
In conclusion, GHBP levels in normal adults seem to be determined by
abdominal fat mass rather than GH secretion.
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Introduction
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THE HIGH affinity GH-binding protein (GHBP)
corresponds to the extracellular domain of the GH receptor (GHR), and
in humans and rabbits, this GHBP is derived from the GHR by proteolytic
cleavage (1, 2, 3, 4). The biological actions and the regulation of
circulating GHBP are not clarified. The high affinity GHBP has been
shown to bind, on the average, about 4050% of circulating GH (5, 6, 7),
and this complex formation seems to protect GH from elimination and
degradation (8, 9). On the other hand, the high affinity GHBP may also
modulate GH action by inhibiting binding of GH to tissue receptors
(10, 11, 12). Finally, studies in experimental animals suggest that
circulating GHBP mainly reflects hepatic GHR density (13). Thus, a
parallel between GHBP levels and GHR status in humans has been
documented in Laron-type dwarfism, which is due to mutations in the
gene for the GHR and is associated with very low levels of GHBP
(14, 15, 16, 17). There is also convincing evidence to suggest that a subgroup
of children with so-called idiopathic short stature has low serum GHBP
levels and exhibits partial insensitivity to GH due to mutations in the
GHR gene (18, 19).
Somewhat surprisingly, conditions associated with distinctly
altered GH secretion, such as GH deficiency and acromegaly, have not
shown reproducible abnormalities in GHBP levels (18, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27), whereas
different catabolic conditions, such as long term fasting, type 1
diabetes mellitus, and liver cirrhosis, exhibit low GHBP levels
(28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39).
High levels of GHBP have been reported in morbid obesity (29, 40), and even among clinically nonobese subjects a weak positive
correlation between body mass index (BMI) and GHBP level has been
reported (16, 41, 42, 43, 44). Furthermore, GHBP concentrations may vary
considerably among apparently normal subjects in cross-sectional
studies (24, 27, 45). Whether this intersubject variability in GHBP
levels relates to differences in relative adiposity or the
topographical distribution of fat has not been addressed to date. As
BMI is an insensitive marker of adiposity among clinically nonobese
subjects, it could be speculated that more specific methods might
unravel hitherto unrecognized associations between GHBP levels and body
composition.
To test this hypothesis we measured GHBP levels in a group of
normal adults in whom detailed data on body composition were obtained
by means of computed tomography (CT) scans, dual energy x-ray
absortiometry (DEXA) scans, bioelectrical impedance, and conventional
anthropometry. Furthermore, the same group was well characterized
regarding GH secretion by means of GH stimulation tests and recordings
of 24-h endogenous GH secretion. Our data strongly suggest that
relative adiposity is the major predictor of serum GHBP concentrations
in normal adults.
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Subjects and Methods
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Forty-two healthy adults (21 females and 21 males; mean age,
39.4 yr; range, 2759) participated in the study. They comprised 2 age
groups with mean ages of 29.5 ± 1.8 yr (n = 23) and
50.8 ± 3.4 yr (n = 19), respectively. The study was approved
by the regional ethics committee, and the subjects gave informed
consent.
For determination of GH secretion, the participants underwent two GH
stimulation tests, an L-arginine infusion (0.5 g/kg;
maximum, 35 g) during 30 min and clonidine stimulation (150
µg/m2, orally). The two tests were performed on separate
occasions and in random order. Furthermore, a 24-h GH profile was
determined. Deconvolution analyses on spontaneous GH concentrations
measured every 20 min for 24 h were performed by Veldhuis et
al. as previously described (46).
The amount of intraabdominal (visceral) fat, abdominal sc fat, maximal
anterior-posterior abdominal diameter, and the muscle/fat ratio of the
midthigh region were evaluated by CT with a Somatom Plus-S scanner
(Siemens, Erlangen, Holland). The areas scanned comprised 10-mm
cross-sectional slices at the middle thigh and the umbilicus using 120
kV and 330 milliamperes. All scans were performed by the same
technician, and the scans were analyzed blindly by the same
radiologist. The percentage of body fat and lean body mass were
measured by DEXA using a Hologic QDR-2000 densitometer (Waltham, MA).
The same technician performed all scans. Whole body resistance was
measured using the BIA 101 (RJL-Systems, Detroit, MI). The percentage
of body fat and lean body mass were estimated by the software supplied
with the BIA 101. Additional anthropometric measurements comprised BMI
and waist/hip ratio (W/H).
Serum GHBP was analyzed in a newly developed in-house time-resolved
fluoroimmunoassay for functional GHBP (27) In brief, the assay was
performed in plates from the DELFIA GH kit (Wallac Oy, Turku, Finland),
coated with a monoclonal anti-GH antibody. Calibrator/serum was
dispensed in duplicate wells followed by a GHBP-saturating amount of
recombinant human GH. Finally, Eu3+-labeled antibody
against GHBP (Mab 263, Agen Biomedical, Queensland, Australia) was
added. Plates were incubated for 20 h at 4 C and then washed six
times with wash solution (Tris-HCl-buffered NaCl solution with sodium
azide and polysorbate 20, pH 7.8). DELFIA enhancement solution (Wallac
Oy) was added, and fluorometry was performed (fluorometer model 1232,
Wallac Oy).
The calibration curve was prepared by dilution of recombinant GHBP
(fully glycosylated GH receptor ectodomain, donated by Lars Skriver,
Protein Technology, Novo Nordisk, Copenhagen, Denmark). The assay
sensitivity was 0.044 nmol/L. The average intraassay coefficient of
variation (CV) was 3.44%. The average interassay CVs at GHBP
concentrations of 0.56 and 1.40 nmol/L were 12% and 6.3%,
respectively. Insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) analyses were
performed by an in-house time-resolved-immunofluorometric assay after
extraction of serum to remove binding proteins as previously described
(47). GH measurements were performed by a DELFIA assay (Wallac Oy).
Intra- and interassay CVs ranged from 1.83.0% and 1.62.3% for
0.7131.4 µg/L GH, respectively. Insulin analyses were performed by
RIA as previously described (48).
Data on BMI, W/H, DEXA scans, CT scans, bioimpedance, and stimulated GH
were reported previously (49).
Statistical analyses
Differences between groups were tested with Students
t test. Simple linear and multiple linear regression
analysis were used to correlate variables. P < 0.05
was considered significant. In multiple linear regression analyses, a
protected P < 0.05/number of independent variables was
considered significant. Results are expressed as the mean ±
SEM, unless otherwise stated.
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Results
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There was no difference in GHBP levels between the two age groups
(Fig. 1A
). Furthermore, there were no gender-related
differences in GHBP (Fig. 1B
). Several features of spontaneous GH
release were found to correlate negatively with GHBP. In a
deconvolution analysis, GH mass, GH production rate, and mean GH
correlated negatively with GHBP, whereas GH amplitude did not (Fig. 2
). Furthermore, basal GH, half-life, bursts, amplitude,
and intervals from the deconvolution analysis did not correlate with
GHBP (data not shown). Peak GH values after arginine stimulation test
also correlated negatively with GHBP (r = -0.346;
P = 0.027), whereas the clonidine-stimulated GH did not
(r = 0.081; P = 0.317). GHBP levels correlated
positively with BMI and W/H ratio (r = 0.483; P =
0.001 and r = 0.452; P = 0.003, respectively). To
evaluate a possible association between GHBP levels and GH sensitivity,
we correlated serum GHBP to the ratio of mean 24-h GH levels over
IGF-I, with the assumption that a low ratio denotes high GH sensitivity
and vice versa. GHBP exhibited a significant inverse
correlation with the mean 24-h GH/IGF-I ratio (r = 0.39;
P = 0.014; Fig. 3
). Body composition
measurements determined by CT scanning revealed positive correlations
between estimates for body fat and GHBP (Fig. 4
, AC).
The muscle/fat ratio, which is a relative estimate of lean body mass,
did not correlate to GHBP (Fig. 4D
). Relative body fat, determined by
DEXA scan and bioimpedance, correlated positively with GHBP (r =
0.320; P = 0.002 and r = 0.354; P
= 0.023, respectively), whereas relative lean body mass correlated
negatively (r = -0.541; P < 0.001). In a
multiple linear regression indexes of adiposity (abdominal) were
significant determinants of GHBP levels, whereas GH secretion
(spontaneous and stimulated) did not contribute significantly to the
prediction of GHBP. Selected results of multiple linear regression
analyses with two independent factors representing GH secretion,
stimulated or spontaneous, and estimates of body composition,
respectively, are shown in Table 1
. Introducing age and
gender in a multiple linear regression did not add to the prediction of
GHBP. IGF-I and fasting insulin levels did not correlate to GHBP levels
in either simple linear or multiple linear analyses of regression (data
not shown).

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Figure 1. A, Correlation between age and GHBP in 42
healthy adults (21 men and 21 females). B, GHBP in younger females (YF;
n = 11), older females (OF; n = 10), younger males (YM;
n = 12), and older males (OM; n = 9).
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Figure 2. Correlation between GH mass and GHBP (A), GH
production rate and GHBP (B), amplitude and GHBP (C), and mean 24-h GH
and GHBP (D).
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Figure 3. Correlation between mean 24-h GH/IGF-I and
GHBP. , BMI less than 24 kg/m2; , BMI more than 24
kg/m2.
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Figure 4. Correlation between abdominal sc fat and
GHBP (A), intraabdominal fat and GHBP (B), maximal abdominal
anterior-posterior diameter and GHBP (C), and muscle-fat ratio for the
right femur and GHBP (D). The anthropometric measurements were
performed by CT scan.
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Discussion
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This study demonstrates that the high affinity GHBP in human serum
is positively correlated to several estimates of body fat, in
particular sc and visceral abdominal fat, whereas GH secretion seems of
minor importance in the prediction of GHBP. Furthermore, we did not
find correlations between GHBP and either age or gender.
Using simple linear regression analysis, serum GHBP levels were
negatively associated with GH secretion, both stimulated and
spontaneous. It has previously been found that spontaneously secreted
GH correlates negatively to GHBP in children (50), but the observation
that this also applies to stimulated GH release is new. It has been
argued that serum GHBP mainly mirrors the amount of GH receptor, which,
in turn, is regulated by the GH level, although this has only been
demonstrated in animal models (13). Disturbances in GH secretion,
e.g. GH deficiency, however, are associated with
considerable changes in body composition (51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60). Furthermore,
multiple linear regression analysis suggests that the correlation
between GH secretion and GHBP levels is secondary to changes in
adiposity.
It has previously been demonstrated that age is negatively
correlated to GHBP (24, 45, 61), with one exception (20). Our data
could not confirm a correlation of age to GHBP. An explanation for this
might be that the age range in the present study was only from 2759
yr and displayed a dichotomous distribution. Although we did not find
any significant influence of age on GHBP, there was a tendency for
increased GHBP with age, which could be due to the influence of
significantly increased body fat percentage with age. It is well known
that GH decreases with age (62). If we accept that GH and GHBP are
inversely correlated, as suggested by our results of simple linear
regression analyses between several estimates of GH secretion and GHBP,
GHBP should increase with age, but this was not the case. This
controversy suggests that the regulation of GHBP is complex and
supports the idea that GH secretory status is not a predominant
regulator of GHBP.
Disagreement exists about the possible influence of gender on GHBP
levels (20, 24, 45, 63). We did not find different GHBP levels in
age-matched males and females. A possible explanation for the ambiguous
findings could be an unrecognized influence of the fat distribution. In
the present study, introducing gender in a multiple linear regression
analysis together with estimates of abdominal fat did not reveal any
influence of gender on GHBP levels.
The relation between IGF-I and GHBP is also not fully clarified (32, 37, 61, 64). IGF-I is mainly determined by GH, nutritional status, and
perhaps insulin. From our results it seems that IGF-I is not a
significant determinant of GHBP, as IGF-I did not contribute to the
prediction of GHBP in a multiple linear regression compared with
estimates of body fat and GH secretion. By contrast, the ratio of mean
24-h GH over IGF-I showed a significant inverse correlation with GHBP.
When accepting IGF-I as an index of GH action, our observation suggests
that GHBP levels to some degree reflect GH sensitivity in subjects not
suspected of having defects in the GHR gene. We also think that our
finding extends and accords with the observation of high GHBP levels in
obesity and low GHBP levels in catabolic conditions, inasmuch as obese
subjects exhibit IGF-I levels that are inappropriately high compared to
their GH secretory status, whereas catabolic conditions are
characterized by low IGF-I levels and hypersomatropinemia.
It has previously been demonstrated that GHBP is positively associated
with BMI (24, 65), but this anthropometric measurement does not provide
information about the distribution of body fat. Furthermore, BMI is
only indirectly associated with fat mass and is a weak marker of
adiposity among clinically nonobese subjects. We have demonstrated that
specific measurements of fat mass, in particular abdominal fat mass,
correlate closely to the GHBP levels, suggesting that abdominal fat may
play a key role in the regulation of GHBP. The liver has a very high
density of GH receptors (66), and circulating GHBP is traditionally
assumed to originate from the liver. Accepting the liver as the main
source of circulating GHBP, the production might be regulated by portal
levels of metabolites and hormones, such as insulin and fatty acids. In
this study, we did not find any significance of fasting insulin in the
prediction of GHBP levels. It could be speculated that metabolites from
the visceral fat mass were conveyed to the portal vein and thereby
influenced hepatic GHBP release. Adiposity is associated with decreased
GH levels (67), and abdominal adiposity, especially, has been found to
determine decreased GH secretion in healthy adults (49). It could serve
as a compensatory mechanism by increasing GHBP and thereby protecting
GH from elimination. In an attempt to detect the origin of circulating
GHBP, it has recently been reported that GHBP levels are identical in
venous and arterial plasma and considerably lower in lymph, suggesting
that GHBP is not produced peripherally. Lymph was collected from the
lower extremities (68). That particular study, however, does not
exclude the possibility that GHBP could arise from abdominal tissues
drained by the portal circulation.
In summary, in healthy, clinically nonobese adults, significant
positive correlations were observed between GHBP and abdominal
adiposity. In multiple linear regression, this correlation was stronger
than the inverse correlation between GHBP and GH secretion. This
observation raises the intriguing question of whether GHBP arises from
GH receptors in visceral adipose tissues. Further investigation is
needed to provide more information on the function, regulation, and
origin of GHBP.
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Acknowledgments
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The excellent technical assistance of Inga Bisgaard is
appreciated. Dr. Kim Brixen, Aarhus Amtssygehus, is thanked for
carrying out the DEXA scans. Technician Lisbeth Thingholm and Dr. Anne
Grethe Jurik, Aarhus Kommunehospital, are thanked for performing and
analyzing the CT scans.
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Footnotes
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1 Presented as an abstract at the International Congress of
Endocrinology, San Francisco, CA, 1996. 
Received June 19, 1996.
Revised August 4, 1996.
Accepted September 4, 1996.
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