Association of 4-hydroxynonenal with classical adipokines and insulin resistance in a Chinese non-diabetic obese population.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of obesity is increasing worldwide. Oxidative stress plays an etiological role in a variety of obesity-related metabolic disorders. 4-hydroxynonenal (4-HNE) is the most abundant and reactive aldehydic product derived from the peroxidation of n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids with diverse biological effects that are not well detailed. Obesity is associated with decreased plasma adiponectin concentrations and increased production of lipid peroxidation products, including 4-HNE, in adipose tissue. There may be some association between the level of adipokines and 4-HNE. MATERIAL AND METHODS: To analyze the associations between 4-HNE and classical adipokines, namely, adiponectin and leptin in a Chinese population, the plasma 4-HNE, adiponectin and leptin levels of 160 non-diabetic obese (NDO) patients and 160 healthy subjects were determined by ELISA, and their associations with adiposity, glucose, lipid profiles, insulin secretion and insulin sensitivity were studied. RESULTS: Plasma 4-HNE levels were significantly increased in patients with NDO compared with healthy controls (p < 0.01). 4-HNE was negatively correlated with adiponectin and positively correlated with leptin. The plasma levels of 4-HNE were significantly correlated to several parameters involved in body mass index (BMI) and insulin resistance (IR). The 4-HNE levels were positively correlated with BMI and negatively correlated with insulin sensitivity. CONCLUSION: We conclude that 4-HNE is associated with the secretion of adiponectin and leptin and is correlated with IR in NDO humans. These findings indicate a pro-inflammatory role of 4-HNE in NDO patients, which supports the potential role of 4-HNE in the development of obesity-related disorders.