Visfatin as a possible serum biomarker in COPD

Abstract

COPD is a chronic disease, characterized by persistent airflow limitation and systemic manifestations. It is suggested that the adipose tissue may play a critical role in promoting systemic inflammation in COPD possibly by secretion of adipokines (including visfatin). Visfatin (visceral fat-derived hormone) is a pro-inflammatory cytokine which acts on early B-lineage precursor cells. It has also an enzyme activity (nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase): the rate-limiting enzyme in salvage pathway of NAD. The aim of our study was to evaluate the role of visfatin as possible biomarker in COPD. We assessed the serum levels of visfatin in 58 patents with COPD and 22controls by commercial ELISA kit. COPD patients had significantly higher visfatin levels compared to controls (181.04±13.82pg/ml vs. 74.4±14.13pg/ml, p Serum leptin was significantly higher in patients with stages GOLD III and IV than those stages GOLD I and II (221.3±17.85pg/ml vs. 159.86±18.11pg/ml, p=0.033); it tended to be higher in patients of group D compare to those of A and B (GOLD 2017) (p=0.078); and it positively correlated with the CAT test points (r=0.227, p=0.035). According to our results visfatin is affected by smoking habits and might be used as biomarker for more advanced and symptomatic COPD. This work was performed with the support of SUP 3/2017 and project 3/2018, Medical Faculty, Trakia University, Stara Zagora, Bulgaria.