Effect of anthelmintic treatment on leptin, adiponectin and leptin to adiponectin ratio: a randomized-controlled trial

Emerging evidence suggests that helminths might confer protection against the development of type 2 diabetes. We aimed to assess the role of adipokines in mediating the effect of helminths on insulin resistance. Serum samples were obtained from a randomized-controlled trial of anthelmintic treatment in an area endemic for soil-transmitted helminths (STH), Flores Island, Indonesia. In STH-infected subjects, anthelmintic treatment significantly increased the ratio of leptin to adiponectin (treatment effect factor (95% confidence interval (CI)), P-value for interaction: 1.20 (1.06-1.35), P = 0.010), which largely stemmed from a significant reduction in adiponectin (0.91 (0.85-0.98), P = 0.020) and a trend for an increase in leptin level (1.10 (1.00-1.21), P = 0.119). No significant effect on resistin level was observed. This increase in leptin to adiponectin ratio seemed to contribute to the observed effect of deworming on increased insulin resistance (IR) as adjustment for leptin to adiponectin ratio attenuated the effect on IR from 1.07 (1.01-1.14, P = 0.023) to 1.05 (0.99-1.11, P = 0.075). Anthelmintic treatment in STH-infected subjects increases leptin to adiponectin ratio which may in small part contribute to the modest increase in IR. Further studies will be needed to assess the effect of the changes in adipokine levels on the host immune response and metabolism.