Obesity Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Obesity, including details on health, diet, prevention, exercise.

sP-selectin plasma levels in obesity: association with insulin resistance and related metabolic and prothrombotic factors.

De Pergola G, Pannacciulli N, Coviello M, Scarangella A, Di Roma P, Caringella M, Venneri MT, Quaranta M, Giorgino R

Internal Medicine, Endocrinology, and Metabolic Diseases, Department of Emergency and Organ Transplantation, University of Bari, School of Medicine, Piazza Giulio Cesare, 70124 Bari, Italy. g.depergola@endo.uniba.it

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Soluble P-selectin (sP-sel) represents a marker of platelet activation. This study was addressed to investigate the associations of sP-sel plasma levels with anthropometric parameters, insulin resistance, and related metabolic and prothrombotic factors. METHODS AND RESULTS: 50 non-diabetic women, 17 with normal weight and 33 overweight and obese, aged 18-55 years, were examined. Measurements included body mass index (BMI), central fat accumulation (evaluated by waist circumference), systolic and diastolic blood pressure levels, fasting plasma concentrations of sP-sel, glucose, lipids (triglycerides, total cholesterol and HDL-cholesterol), insulin, and prothrombotic factors (plasminogen activator inhibitor-1, von Willebrand factor, fibrinogen), and insulin resistance (estimated by the homeostasis model assessment: HOMA(IR)). Overweight and obese women had higher fasting plasma sP-sel concentrations compared to normal-weight controls (P<0.05). sP-sel concentrations were positively correlated with BMI, HOMA(IR), systolic and diastolic blood pressure, fasting insulin, triglyceride and PAI-1 plasma levels (P<0.05 for all the correlations). When a multiple regression analysis was performed, with P-sel as dependent variable and all the other parameters as independent variables, P-sel did not maintain a significant relationship with any of these variables. CONCLUSIONS: s-P-selectin plasma concentrations are higher in overweight and obese insulin resistant subjects, thus possibly contributing to the cardiovascular risk of these patients. However, body fatness and insulin resistance are not independent determinants of fasting plasma sP-sel concentrations.

Published 17 March 2008 in Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis, 18(3): 227-32.
Full-text of this article is available online (may require subscription).

© 2004-2008 Obesity Research Today. All Rights Reserved.