Abstract
Plasma levels of adrenomedullin (AM), a bioactive peptide produced in adipose tissue, have been shown to be higher in obese patients than in non-obese patients, but little is known about gender differences in plasma AM levels. The aims of this study were to clarify gender-related alterations in plasma AM levels and to examine the body weight (BW) gain–plasma AM relationship in the general population. We measured plasma AM levels of 346 local residents (62.0±8.9 years, mean±s.d.) in the Kiyotake area, Japan, who underwent a regular health check-up, by a specific fluorescence immunoassay. Plasma AM levels in the female residents were lower than that in the males, and multiple regression analysis revealed a possible gender difference in plasma AM. The AM levels were significantly correlated with BMI or waist circumference in women, but such a relationship was not seen in men. When the subjects were divided into two groups by results of a questionnaire about BW gain of 10 kg or more since the age of 20 years, the plasma AM level of women with BW gain ≧10 kg was significantly higher than that in those without BW gain, although no difference was noted between the men with and without BW gain. In conclusion, possible gender differences were noted in the plasma AM levels and in the BW gain–plasma AM relationship in the general population. The plasma AM levels in the female residents without BW gain seem partly attributable to the lower AM of women.
Highlights
Adrenomedullin (AM) is a potent vasodilator peptide first isolated from human pheochromocytoma tissue, this peptide has been shown to be present in a wide range of human tissues or organs: the adrenal medulla, heart, blood vessels, kidneys, and adipose tissues (1, 2, 3)
Plasma levels of AM, a bioactive peptide with pleiotropic actions, are increased in various human diseases including hypertension, heart failure, and obesity (3, 8), but little is known about gender-related differences in plasma AM
According to an animal study, body weight (BW) gain via a high-fat diet resulted in augmented AM expression in adipose tissue with concomitant elevation of plasma AM levels in rats (10), but BW gain-induced elevation of plasma AM level has not been proven in humans yet
Summary
Adrenomedullin (AM) is a potent vasodilator peptide first isolated from human pheochromocytoma tissue, this peptide has been shown to be present in a wide range of human tissues or organs: the adrenal medulla, heart, blood vessels, kidneys, and adipose tissues (1, 2, 3). Plasma AM levels have been found to be higher in patients with obesity than in control subjects, suggesting the active production and secretion of AM from human adipose tissue (6, 9). When evaluating plasma levels of endogenous bioactive substances, we sometimes need to take gender-related alterations into account. Plasma levels of brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), a bioactive peptide exerting vasodilatory and blood pressure-lowering effects, are higher in women than in men (12). Another example is the renin– angiotensin–aldosterone system: estrogen, a sex steroid hormone, has been shown to modulate this system in various manners (13). In addition to AM, we measured plasma levels of BNP and an N-terminal fragment of the BNP precursor (NT-proBNP) in order to compare gender- or BW gainrelated alterations in AM with those of the BNP peptides
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