Obesity, but Not Overweight, Is Associated with Increased Presepsin Levels in Infection-Free Individuals: An...

Area of Science:

• Metabolic Health
• Inflammation Biomarkers
• Gut Microbiome

Background:

• Intestinal dysbiosis and systemic inflammation are implicated in obesity pathogenesis.
• Presepsin, a marker of bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) receptor, may reflect gut barrier integrity.
• Elevated LPS is observed in metabolic diseases, but presepsin's role in obesity is unexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between obesity and serum presepsin levels.
• To explore presepsin as a potential biomarker for systemic inflammation in obesity.

Main Methods:

• Serum presepsin concentrations were measured using ELISA in 81 participants (obesity, overweight, normal BMI).
• Participants were screened for infection and diabetes mellitus.
• Statistical analyses, including regression modeling, were performed to compare presepsin levels between groups.

Main Results:

• The obesity group exhibited higher presepsin levels compared to controls (p=0.06).
• After adjusting for confounders and excluding cardiovascular disease history, obesity was associated with significantly higher presepsin (p=0.016).
• Overweight individuals showed significantly lower presepsin levels than both obese and control groups (p=0.005 and p=0.031, respectively).

Conclusions:

• Systemic inflammation, potentially via intestinal barrier disruption, may contribute to obesity pathogenesis.
• Elevated presepsin in obesity suggests a role for gut dysbiosis in metabolic disease.
• The decreased presepsin in overweight individuals is a novel finding requiring further investigation.