Serum vaspin concentrations in girls with anorexia nervosa

Background: Vaspin (VASP) is a protein detected in pre- and mature adipocytes, the production and secretion of which may be conditioned by nutrition status. VASP may also play a role in the regulation of food intake. Since to date, there are no available studies on serum vaspin concentrations in patients with anorexia nervosa (AN), the aim of our study is to assess serum vaspin concentrations in girls with AN in comparison to healthy subjects and determine its relationship with body weight, body masss index (BMI) and insulin. Methods: In this cross-sectional study vaspin serum concentrations were evaluated using a commercially available ELISA kit in 47 Polish girls hospitalized due to restrictive AN and 39 healthy controls (H). Results: The mean serum concentration of VASP in girls with AN was significantly higher than in the H group. These differences were also noted after adjustment for body masss index-standard deviation score (BMI-SDS), the homeostatic model assessment-insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) index and insulin levels. There were no statistically significant correlations between the serum concentrations of VASP and body mass, BMI, BMI-SDS, insulin and HOMA-IR in the AN or healthy group. Conclusions: Serum vaspin levels in lean subjects are regulated in different mechanisms than previously reported in obesity. It should be established if elevated serum vaspin levels in girls with AN may contribute to low food intake in these patients.