Indices of Insulin Resistance and Dyslipidemia Are Correlated with Lymphocyte Proneness to Apoptosis in Obese or Overweight Low Birth Weight Children

Abstract

Aims: Our aim was to study the relationship between markers of cell proneness to apoptosis and indices of insulin resistance and dyslipidemia in children born with low birth weight (LBW). Methods: The study comprised 177 prepubertal children stratified by birth weight and their nutritional status into LBW (n = 138) and normal birth weight (NBW; n = 39) groups. We analyzed DNA from peripheral blood lymphocytes, separated by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), as well as the serum levels of cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, triglycerides, fasting insulin and glucose, caspase 3, and BCL2. Results: LBW children with a BMI SDS >1.55 demonstrated increased content of the large fragments of the lymphocyte DNA [300-500 kb (DNA_{300-500 kb})] in electrophoretic slides (a marker of decreased chromatin stability and susceptibility of cells to apoptosis) compared to the NBW group. In these children the level of DNA_{300-500 kb} exhibited a strong negative correlation with the serum level of antiapoptotic protein of BCL2 (r = -0.901). DNA_{300-500 kb} significantly correlated with calculated indices of insulin resistance: HOMA-IR and QUICKI as well as with the indices of lipid homeostasis (Castelli and AIP). Conclusions: Increased susceptibility of lymphocytes to apoptosis correlated with a higher risk of insulin resistance and lipid disturbance in overweight or obese LBW children. A comprehensive study of the proneness of cells to apoptosis should be implemented to further investigate the pathomechanism of the metabolic syndrome in these children.