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Serum spexin levels are not associated with size at birth but are associated with metabolic syndrome components in prepubertal children born at term

  • Fatma Duygu Öztürk Önsal EMAIL logo , Gizem Kara Elitok , Ali Bülbül and Ahmet Uçar
Published/Copyright: March 28, 2022
Journal of Pediatric Endocrinology and Metabolism
From the journal Journal of Pediatric Endocrinology and Metabolism Volume 35 Issue 5

Abstract

Background

Babies born small for gestational age (SGA) are at risk of obesity and metabolic syndrome (MetS). Spexin (SPX) is a novel peptide implicated in food intake and obesity. Spexin levels are lower in obese subjects. This study investigated the potential association of SPX and some obesity related peptides such as leptin and active ghrelin with size at birth and MetS components in prepubertal children born term and either SGA or appropriate for GA (AGA). Secondary aim was to identify whether any of the investigated peptides were associated with MetS components.

Methods

We conducted a cross-sectional study of 37 consecutive (median age: 5.6 y) SGA- and 50 (median age: 5.9 y) AGA-born children. Clinical evaluations were performed using standard methods. Several biochemical variables (SPX, total leptin, and active ghrelin levels) were analyzed. Age-dependent cut-off values were used to define MetS components, including excess adiposity, hypertension, insulin resistance, and dyslipidemia. The associations between the assessed clinical and laboratory variables and MetS components were investigated.

Results

Children born SGA had higher frequencies of MetS components than AGA-born peers (p < 0.01). None of the investigated peptides were different between children born SGA and AGA after correcting for body mass index (p > 0.05 for all). Serum SPX levels were lower in children with at least one metS component than those without MetS components (p = 0.018).

Conclusions

Size at birth had no association with serum SPX. Serum SPX levels are decreased in prepubertal children with MetS components.

Keywords: active ghrelin; leptin; metabolic syndrome components; small for gestational age; spexin
Corresponding author: Fatma Duygu Öztürk Önsal, MD, Department of Pediatrics, Well-Child Care Clinic, University of Health Sciences, Şişli Hamidiye Etfal Education & Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey; and Department of Pediatric Endocrinology & Diabetes, University of Health Sciences, Şişli Hamidiye Etfal Education & Research Hospital, Şisli, 34360, Istanbul, Turkey. Phone: +905312178282, E-mail: .

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the children and the parents who participated in the study. The authors would also like to thank Prof Zeynep Yildiz Yildirmak for her support in conducting the study.

  1. Research funding: None declared.

  2. Author contribution: All authors have accepted responsibility for the entire content of this manuscript and approved its submission.

  3. Competing interests: Authors state no conflict of interest.

  4. Informed consent: Informed consent was obtained from all individuals included in this study.

  5. Ethical approval: The study was approved by the local ethical committee of Şişli Hamidiye Etfal Education and Research Hospital (Approval number: 2879).

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Received: 2021-12-01
Accepted: 2022-03-08
Published Online: 2022-03-28
Published in Print: 2022-05-25

© 2022 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Frontmatter
  2. Review Article
  3. Impact of Obesity on Bone Metabolism in Children
  4. Mini Review
  5. Late sequelae of drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms (DRESS) cause thyroid dysfunction and thyroiditis: review of literature
  6. Original Articles
  7. Moderating effect of bone maturation on the relationship between body fat and insulin resistance
  8. Prevalence of nephropathy in Indian children and youth with type 1 diabetes mellitus
  9. Initial neutrophil/lymphocyte and lymphocyte/monocyte ratios can predict future insulin need in newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes mellitus
  10. Subcutaneous adipose tissue is a positive predictor for bone mineral density in prepubertal children with Prader–Willi syndrome independent of lean mass
  11. The attitudes, experiences, and self-competencies of pediatric endocrinology fellows and attending physicians regarding diabetes technology: the Turkey experience
  12. Adiposity measures in screening for metabolic syndrome among Chinese children and adolescents
  13. Increased anxiety symptoms in pediatric type 1 diabetes during the acute phase of COVID-19 lockdown
  14. Pediatric adrenal insufficiency: thirty years experience at a Portuguese hospital
  15. Spectrum of PAH gene mutations and genotype–phenotype correlation in patients with phenylalanine hydroxylase deficiency from Turkey
  16. Serum spexin levels are not associated with size at birth but are associated with metabolic syndrome components in prepubertal children born at term
  17. Familial early-onset obesity in Turkish children: variants and polymorphisms in the melanocortin-4 receptor (MC4R) gene
  18. An update of the mutation spectrum of phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH) gene in the population of Turkey
  19. Primary hypertriglyceridemia induced pancreatitis in a cohort of Pakistani children
  20. Investigation of the relationship between serum sclerostin and dickkopf-1 protein levels with bone turnover in children and adolescents with type-1 diabetes mellitus
  21. Case Reports
  22. Diagnostic value of plasma lysosphingolipids levels in a Niemann–Pick disease type C patient with transient neonatal cholestasis
  23. A 7-year-old boy with central diabetes insipidus presenting with thickened pituitary stalk and anti-rabphilin-3A antibody positivity
  24. Homozygous missense variant of PTH (c.166C>T, p.(Arg56Cys)) as the cause of familial isolated hypoparathyroidism in a three-year-old child
  25. Long-term follow-up of transient neonatal diabetes mellitus due to a novel homozygous c.7734C>T (p.R228C) mutation in ZFP57 gene: relapse at prepubertal age
https://doi.org/10.1515/jpem-2021-0721
Keywords for this article
active ghrelin; leptin; metabolic syndrome components; small for gestational age; spexin

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Frontmatter
  2. Review Article
  3. Impact of Obesity on Bone Metabolism in Children
  4. Mini Review
  5. Late sequelae of drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms (DRESS) cause thyroid dysfunction and thyroiditis: review of literature
  6. Original Articles
  7. Moderating effect of bone maturation on the relationship between body fat and insulin resistance
  8. Prevalence of nephropathy in Indian children and youth with type 1 diabetes mellitus
  9. Initial neutrophil/lymphocyte and lymphocyte/monocyte ratios can predict future insulin need in newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes mellitus
  10. Subcutaneous adipose tissue is a positive predictor for bone mineral density in prepubertal children with Prader–Willi syndrome independent of lean mass
  11. The attitudes, experiences, and self-competencies of pediatric endocrinology fellows and attending physicians regarding diabetes technology: the Turkey experience
  12. Adiposity measures in screening for metabolic syndrome among Chinese children and adolescents
  13. Increased anxiety symptoms in pediatric type 1 diabetes during the acute phase of COVID-19 lockdown
  14. Pediatric adrenal insufficiency: thirty years experience at a Portuguese hospital
  15. Spectrum of PAH gene mutations and genotype–phenotype correlation in patients with phenylalanine hydroxylase deficiency from Turkey
  16. Serum spexin levels are not associated with size at birth but are associated with metabolic syndrome components in prepubertal children born at term
  17. Familial early-onset obesity in Turkish children: variants and polymorphisms in the melanocortin-4 receptor (MC4R) gene
  18. An update of the mutation spectrum of phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH) gene in the population of Turkey
  19. Primary hypertriglyceridemia induced pancreatitis in a cohort of Pakistani children
  20. Investigation of the relationship between serum sclerostin and dickkopf-1 protein levels with bone turnover in children and adolescents with type-1 diabetes mellitus
  21. Case Reports
  22. Diagnostic value of plasma lysosphingolipids levels in a Niemann–Pick disease type C patient with transient neonatal cholestasis
  23. A 7-year-old boy with central diabetes insipidus presenting with thickened pituitary stalk and anti-rabphilin-3A antibody positivity
  24. Homozygous missense variant of PTH (c.166C>T, p.(Arg56Cys)) as the cause of familial isolated hypoparathyroidism in a three-year-old child
  25. Long-term follow-up of transient neonatal diabetes mellitus due to a novel homozygous c.7734C>T (p.R228C) mutation in ZFP57 gene: relapse at prepubertal age
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