Decreased Plasma Apelin Levels in Pubertal Obese Children

Background Apelin is a recently defined peptide relevant to the mechanism of obesity-related disorders There has been no report so far about the levels of plasma apelin in obese children Methods In this study plasma apelin, adiponectin, and high sensitivity C reactive protein levels were investigated in obese (n=32) and nonobese (n=40) children The effects of pubertal status on the apelin and adiponectin levels were evaluated as well Results When compared to nonobese controls, the obese children had significantly lower plasma apelin (p= 0 004), adiponectin and HDL cholesterol levels (p= 0 001 for both), and higher hs-CRP, triglycerides, insulin and Homeostasis Model Assessment (HOMA-IR) Indexes (p< 0 001 for all) The difference between the apelin levels was present only in the pubertal period (p=0 002) Conclusions The results of the present study indicate that plasma apelin levels are lower in child obesity and pubertal state is an important determinant of plasma apelin levels