Fasting Circulating Glicentin Increases After Bariatric Surgery

Bariatric surgery including the Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) and the laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) is a well-established therapeutic option for patients with morbid or severe obesity. Metabolic modifications observed after bariatric surgery are thought to be, at least partly, linked to hormonal changes. While variation of several proglucagon-derived peptides during bariatric surgery is well documented, little is known about glicentin. The aim of this study was to investigate circulating glicentin variations after bariatric surgery. Thirty patients eligible for bariatric surgery (18 RYGB and 12 LSG procedures) were prospectively included in the University Hospital of Nice. Clinical data and fasting biological parameters were recorded preoperatively, at 3, 6, and 12 months after bariatric surgery. The median age of patients was 51 years (35-56) with 33.3% men. Fasting glicentin concentration increased progressively after bariatric surgery from 6 months and was more marked at 12 months (14 +/- 3.6 pmol/L at baseline vs 19.7 +/- 2.7 pmol/L at 12 months for RYGB and 12.5 +/- 1.4 vs 16.4 +/- 1.8 pmol/L for LSG, respectively). Compared to preoperative values, the fold increase of glicentin at 12 months was 2 +/- 0.2 in the RYGB group and 1.6 +/- 0.3 in the LSG group. Glicentin variation after surgery did not correlate with anthropometric, glycemic, or lipid parameter modifications. Fasting glicentin level increases after bariatric surgery suggesting the potential interest of this peptide as a player and/or a marker of physiological changes after bariatric surgery.