Endocrine Abstracts

Purpose: This study investigated the exercise-induced changes in novel adipokines (visfatin, chemerin, and apelin) related to obesity and metabolism, and their correlations with the changes in the measures of obesity and glucose homeostasis after the 8-wk exercise intervention.

Methods: Forty metabolically heathy obese young males were randomly assigned either to control (C, n=12) or exercise group (Ex, n=28). The subjects in exercise group participated in an 8-wk supervised endurance exercise training program and they completed four sessions of treadmill running at 65-75% of their maximal oxygen consumption to burn approximately 600 Kcal per session. Anthropometric measures, various metabolic serum markers and the serum concentrations of total adiponectin, high molecular weighted adiponectin, leptin, visfatin, chemerin, and apelin were assessed at pre- and post-intervention.

Results: Serum levels of visfatin, chemerin, and apelin were significantly more decreased in Ex compare to C group during 8-wk intervention (-5.96±6.07 vs. 0.75±2.29 ng/mL, −26.64±40.15 vs. 19.0±43.61 ng/mL and −129.47±138.01 vs. 83.08±153.39 pg/mL, respectively, all P<.05). The change in serum apelin level was significantly correlated with the changes in fasting plasma insulin (FPI, β=0.672), homeostasis model for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR, β=0.603) and β-cell function (HOMA-β, β=0.696), and quantitative insulin sensitivity check index (QUICKI, β=−0.613, all P<0.05). These correlations remained after the adjustment for the confounders. The changes in visfatin and chemerin showed significant correlations with the changes in obesity measures.

Conclusions: Endurance exercise induced significant changes in serum concentrations of visfatin, chemerin and apelin in metabolically healthy obese young males. These changes seem to be involved in the etiology of obesity and glucose homeostasis