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Elevated serum adiponectin level in patients with Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare complex pulmonary disease
Sadatomo Tasaka1, Naoki Hasegawa, Tomoyasu Nishimura
1Division of Pulmonary Medicine, Department of Medicine, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan. tasaka@cpnet.med.keio.ac.jp
Background:
Patients with Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare complex (MAC) pulmonary disease often suffer from weight loss. Adipokines are factors secreted by adipocytes, including leptin and adiponectin, as well as some inflammatory cytokines, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and interleukin 6 (IL-6). Body mass index (BMI) is known to be inversely correlated with adiponectin and positively with leptin, TNF-alpha, and IL-6.
Objective:
We aimed to evaluate the levels of serum adipokines, including adiponectin, leptin, TNF-alpha, and IL-6 in patients with MAC pulmonary disease.
Methods:
Forty consecutive patients with MAC pulmonary disease (8 males; median age 62 years; median BMI 18.1) were examined. Serum levels of adiponectin, leptin, TNF-alpha, and IL-6 were measured with ELISA. Age-, sex- and BMI-matched healthy subjects served as controls.
Results:
Serum adiponectin was significantly elevated in patients with MAC pulmonary disease compared with the controls (p < 0.01). In both the patients and controls, serum adiponectin levels were inversely correlated with BMI (p < 0.05). No significant correlation was observed between serum adiponectin levels and C-reactive protein or lung function. Serum leptin levels, which were positively correlated with BMI, did not differ between patients and controls. Serum levels of TNF-alpha and IL-6 were significantly greater in patients with MAC pulmonary disease than in controls. The levels of TNF-alpha and IL-6 were not correlated with BMI and other adipokines examined.
Conclusion:
The results of the present study indicate that, in patients with MAC pulmonary disease, adiponectin is inappropriately secreted and may play a role in the pathophysiology of the disease.
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