TY - JOUR
T1 - Plasma α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone
T2 - sex differences and correlations with obesity
AU - Donahoo, William T.
AU - Hernandez, Teri L.
AU - Costa, Jessica L.
AU - Jensen, Dalan R.
AU - Morris, Alison M.
AU - Brennan, Miles B.
AU - Hochgeschwender, Ute
AU - Eckel, Robert H.
N1 - Funding Information:
This study was funded by a grant from the Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology, grant AR01.1-045, and grant M01-RR00051 from the Adult GCRC by the National Institutes of Health Division of Research Resources.
PY - 2009/1
Y1 - 2009/1
N2 - Rodent experiments raise the possibility of a regulatory role of peripheral α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (α-MSH) in obesity and metabolism, but human data on peripheral α-MSH levels remain fragmentary. Because of the possible relationship between α-MSH and obesity, we endeavored to test the hypothesis that higher levels of α-MSH in obese patients would correlate with leptin levels and with other markers of obesity. Sixty normal-weight to obese healthy men and women participated. Weight, measures of body composition, and diet diaries were obtained; fasting blood was analyzed for α-MSH, lipids, glucose, insulin, leptin, and adiponectin. To begin to understand the source of peripherally measured hormones, α-MSH was also measured in serum samples from 5 individuals with untreated Addison disease. Levels of α-MSH were higher in men vs women (10.1 ± 4.3 vs 7.6 ± 3.4 pmol/L, P = .019), and α-MSH levels were higher in patients with Addison disease vs controls (17.7 ± 2.3 vs 8.7 ± 0.52 pmol/L, P < .001). Measures of adiposity correlated with insulin and leptin in men and women, and with adiponectin in women. α-Melanocyte-stimulating hormone levels did not correlate significantly with any parameter of adiposity or diet composition. The elevated α-MSH levels in patients with untreated Addison disease suggest possible pituitary secretion of α-MSH to the periphery. The lack of correlation between peripheral α-MSH and parameters of adiposity suggests that endogenous plasma α-MSH levels are not a metric for body composition per se.
AB - Rodent experiments raise the possibility of a regulatory role of peripheral α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (α-MSH) in obesity and metabolism, but human data on peripheral α-MSH levels remain fragmentary. Because of the possible relationship between α-MSH and obesity, we endeavored to test the hypothesis that higher levels of α-MSH in obese patients would correlate with leptin levels and with other markers of obesity. Sixty normal-weight to obese healthy men and women participated. Weight, measures of body composition, and diet diaries were obtained; fasting blood was analyzed for α-MSH, lipids, glucose, insulin, leptin, and adiponectin. To begin to understand the source of peripherally measured hormones, α-MSH was also measured in serum samples from 5 individuals with untreated Addison disease. Levels of α-MSH were higher in men vs women (10.1 ± 4.3 vs 7.6 ± 3.4 pmol/L, P = .019), and α-MSH levels were higher in patients with Addison disease vs controls (17.7 ± 2.3 vs 8.7 ± 0.52 pmol/L, P < .001). Measures of adiposity correlated with insulin and leptin in men and women, and with adiponectin in women. α-Melanocyte-stimulating hormone levels did not correlate significantly with any parameter of adiposity or diet composition. The elevated α-MSH levels in patients with untreated Addison disease suggest possible pituitary secretion of α-MSH to the periphery. The lack of correlation between peripheral α-MSH and parameters of adiposity suggests that endogenous plasma α-MSH levels are not a metric for body composition per se.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=57049164906&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.metabol.2008.07.028
DO - 10.1016/j.metabol.2008.07.028
M3 - Article
C2 - 19059526
AN - SCOPUS:57049164906
VL - 58
SP - 16
EP - 21
JO - Metabolism: Clinical and Experimental
JF - Metabolism: Clinical and Experimental
SN - 0026-0495
IS - 1
ER -