Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction

Altered levels of circulating cell-free deoxyribonucleic acid (ccf DNA) have been found in several pathologies and might have a diagnostic value. With the steadily growing number of studies in the issues related to obesity research, it is proven, that obesity might be related to wide number of body disorders. In the current opinion, we hypothesized that there is a correlation between obesity and elevated cfDNA levels in the circulation.

Methods

This is a prospective analytic study about 56 cases. The sample included individuals who have no medical or surgical history. They were categorized according to their body mass index (BMI) groups: Group 1: normal group with BMI: [18.5–24.9 kg/m²] and Group 2: obese group with BMI > 30 kg/m². Using Beta Globin 110, we investigated the levels of ccf DNA in plasma samples from obese women (n = 33) and from controls (n = 23). We also studied the relationship of the levels of this molecular marker with the various clinicopathological parameters of obesity.

Results

The study population included 56 females with a mean age of 31 ± 10.6 years. The average body mass index (BMI) was 22.5 kg/m² in group 1 and 39 kg/m² in group 2. In the serum, the mean concentration of ccf DNA was significantly higher in the obese patients as compared to the controls (P < 0.001). There were positive correlations between cfDNA levels and different parameters of obesity, with the weight (P = 0.001), the BMI (P < 0.001) and the waist circumference (P = 0.002).

Conclusion

There is a correlation between the obesity and elevated cfDNA levels. This correlation based on free radicals and oxidative stress hypothesis of cellular molecules damage and cell injury which in turn leads to a disorder in the whole body, but it still needs to more study and investigation.