Hyperenterostatinemia in premenopausal obese women

Enterostatins [Val-Pro-Asp-Pro-Arg (VPDPR), Val-Pro-Gly-Pro-Arg (VPGPR), and Ala-Pro-Gly-Pro-Arg (APGPR)] are pentapeptides derived from the NH2-terminus of procolipase after tryptic cleavage and belong to the family of gut-brain peptides. Although enterostatin-like immunoreactivities exist in blood, brain, and gut, and exogenous enterostatins decrease fat appetite and insulin secretion in rats, the roles of these peptides in human obesity remain to be examined. To determine whether VPDPR and APGPR secretion is altered in obesity, serum VPDPR and APGPR levels were measured in 38 overnight-fasted subjects (body mass index, 17.9-54.7 kg/m2) before and after a meal. The mean fasting VPDPR in the serum of lean subjects was significantly lower than that in obese subjects [lean = 603 +/- 86 nmol/L (n = 17); obese, 1516 +/- 227 nmol/L (n = 21); P = 0.0023]. In addition, the rise in serum APGPR after a meal (postmeal/fasting ratio) was significantly higher in lean than in obese subjects [lean, 1.71 +/- 0.24 (n = 17); obese, 1.05 +/- 0.14 (n = 21); P = 0.0332]. The results of these studies show hyperenterostatinemia in obesity and a diminution in enterostatin secretion after satiety.