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Association between serum soluble tumor necrosis factor-α receptors and early childhood obesity
Shengrong Ouyang1, Wei Li, Zhuo Liu
1Dept. of Biochemistry, Capital Institute of Pediatrics, Beijing 100020, China.
Insights
Serum soluble tumor necrosis factor-α receptors (sTNFRs) 1 and 2 levels were analyzed in young children. Obese children showed elevated sTNFR1, particularly obese girls, suggesting a sex-related link in early childhood obesity.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Endocrinology
- Immunology
- Obesity Research
Background:
- Childhood obesity is a growing global health concern.
- Inflammatory cytokines play a role in metabolic dysregulation.
- Early identification of biomarkers for obesity is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To characterize inflammatory cytokine profiles in obese children aged 36-48 months.
- To validate serum levels of soluble tumor necrosis factor-α receptors (sTNFRs) 1 and 2.
- To investigate potential sex-specific differences in these markers.
Main Methods:
- Inflammatory cytokine array assay on serum from 4 obese children and 4 lean controls.
- Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) validation of sTNFR1 and sTNFR2 in 61 obese and 52 lean children.
- Stratified analysis by gender to assess sex-specific associations.
Main Results:
- Serum sTNFR1 levels were significantly increased in obese children (p = 0.003).
- Serum sTNFR2 levels did not show a significant change overall (p = 0.069).
- Obese girls, but not obese boys, exhibited significantly increased sTNFR1 (p = 0.005) and sTNFR2 (p = 0.049) levels.
Conclusions:
- Serum sTNFR1 is a potential biomarker for early childhood obesity.
- sTNFR1 and sTNFR2 levels in early obesity may be sex-related, with a stronger association in girls.
- Further research is warranted to explore the clinical implications of these sex-specific findings.
Abstract:
This study aimed to characterize the inflammatory cytokine profiles and further validate the significantly different cytokines in the serum obtained from obese children aged 36-48 months. Four obese children and four lean controls were randomly selected for inflammatory cytokine array assay, in which two cytokines [soluble tumor necrosis factor-α receptors (sTNFRs) 1 and 2] were found to be significantly different. Both cytokines (sTNFR1 and sTNFR2) were then further validated through enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in 61 obese children and 52 lean children. ELISA results revealed that serum sTNFR1 level in obese children significantly increased (p = 0.003), whereas sTNFR2 did not change significantly (p = 0.069). Stratified analysis by gender showed that only obese girls presented increased sTNFR1 (p = 0.005) and sTNFR2 (p = 0.049) levels. We conclude that serum sTNFR1 is elevated in early childhood obesity. Moreover, serum sTNFR1 and sTNFR2 are associated with obese girls but not obese boys, thereby suggesting that serum sTNFRs in early childhood obesity may be sex related.
