Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: Effect of GH deficiency on the endocrine function of adipose tissue (AT) is poorly understood. Data on serum adiponectin (ADIPO) concentrations in patients with GH deficiency (GHD) are scarse.

The aim of the study was the assessment of ADIPO serum concentrations in adolescents and young adults with GHD and evaluation of their correlations with the degree of GH/IGF1 axis function impairment as well as anthropometric and body composition parameters.

Subjects and methods: The study was performed in a group of total 122 subjects aged 16-25 years. Based on current peak serum GH concentrations in insulin tolerance test (ITT) patients were qualified for the following groups: i) severe GH deficiency – GHD (peak GH<5.0 ng/ml, n=26), ii) partial GH deficiency – PGHD (peak GH 5.0–l10.0 ng/ml, n=22), iii) normal GH secretion – NGH (peak GH >10.0 ng/ml, n=28) and iv) healthy subjects – H (n=46). Following examinations were performed: i) anthropometric measurements, ii) analysis of body composition using BIA, iii) serum concentrations of ADIPO (Millipore, USA) and IGF1. Based on the analysis of body composition the total ADIPO content in the extracellular fluids per the unit of body fat mass (CADIPO/FM) was calculated.

Results: Mean serum concentrations of ADIPO did not differ significantly among the examined groups, however CADIPO/FM values were significantly lower (P<0.05) in GHD (8.6 mg/kg) compared with PGHD (30.1 mg/kg), NGH (27.9 mg/kg) and H (24.5 mg/kg) and well correlated with a degree of GH/IGF1 axis depletion (r=0.54; P<0.0001 for peak GH in ITT and r=0.45; P<0.001 for IGF1). A significant negative correlation between serum ADIPO and percentage of body fat (FM%) was found in GH sufficient subjects (r=−0.30; P<0.01), whereas it was positive in GHD and PGHD group (r=0.37; P<0.05)

Conclusion: Severe GHD impairs ADIPO secretion in the degree that correlates with GH–IGF1 depletion.

Declaration of interest: The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest that could be perceived as prejudicing the impartiality of the research project.

Funding: This work was supported, however funding details unavailable.