Abstract
Background: Obese-related asthma is a severe asthma phenotype. Inflamed adipose tissue releases adipokines with metabolic, pro- or anti-inflammatory activities that may contribute to the pathophysiology. A similar role of adipokines in COPD has been proposed. The effects of sex and age on circulating adipokines are still unclear.
Aim: To examine the influences of sex and age on plasma levels of nine adipokines.
Methods: Patients with mild to moderate asthma (MMA, n=55), severe asthma (SA=72) and COPD (n=41) were from BIOAIR, a European multicenter study. After recruitment (visit 1), patients were optimized with medium doses of inhaled glucocorticosteroids and LABA for four weeks (visit 2), then included in a two-week OCS trial, followed by an observational period for one year (visits 4, 5 and 6). Adipokines were measured using a specifically established multiplex immunoassay. Sex and age correlations were analyzed at visit 2 and confirmed at the other visits.
Results: Leptin in all groups (MMA p=<0.0001; SA p=<0.0001; COPD p=0.0034) and adiponectin in MMA (p=<0.0001) and SA (p=<0.012) were significantly higher in women than in men. Lipocalin-2/NGAL was lower in women in MMA (p=0.0045). A positive correlation with age was found for adipsin (p=<0.0001), Baff (p=0.023) and FGF-21 (p=<0.0001), where the effect was stronger above 50 years of age.
Osteonectin/SPARC (p=0.012) and chemerin (p=0.0027) increased with age.
Adiponectin: increased with age in men (p=0.027), but not in women. Leptin, lipocalin-2/NGAL and resistin did not change. BMI showed a positive correlation with age below 50 years of age, but not above.
Conclusions: It is essential to consider the influence of sex and age in adipokine biomarker studies.
Footnotes
Cite this article as: European Respiratory Journal 2020; 56: Suppl. 64, 3311.
This abstract was presented at the 2020 ERS International Congress, in session “Respiratory viruses in the "pre COVID-19" era”.
This is an ERS International Congress abstract. No full-text version is available. Further material to accompany this abstract may be available at www.ers-education.org (ERS member access only).
- Copyright ©the authors 2020