1. Age-dependent elevations in plasma kisspeptin are observed in boys and girls when compared with adults
- Author
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Mohammad A. Ghatei, Nicola Bridges, Shakunthala Narayanaswamy, Waljit S. Dhillo, Channa N. Jayasena, Akila De Silva, Stephen R. Bloom, Gurjinder M. K. Nijher, and Ali Abbara
- Subjects
Adult ,Male ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Adolescent ,Clinical Biochemistry ,Radioimmunoassay ,Puberty, Precocious ,Neuropeptide ,Age dependent ,Adult women ,Kisspeptin ,Internal medicine ,medicine ,Humans ,Precocious puberty ,Blood test ,Child ,Kisspeptins ,medicine.diagnostic_test ,Plasma samples ,business.industry ,Reproduction ,Age Factors ,General Medicine ,medicine.disease ,Endocrinology ,Child, Preschool ,Female ,business ,Biomarkers ,hormones, hormone substitutes, and hormone antagonists - Abstract
Background Kisspeptin is a hypothalamic neuropeptide playing a physiological role in human reproduction. Genetic over-activation of kisspeptin causes precocious puberty in children. Concentrations of circulating kisspeptin are low in adults. The concentrations of plasma kisspeptin in boys and girls have not been studied previously. Methods Blood was obtained from 51 children and 63 adults. Plasma samples were analysed using radioimmunoassay. Children were aged 2–18 years, and attending hospital for a medically requested blood test unrelated to reproductive development. Data on pubertal status were not collected due to ethical reasons. Results Mean plasma kisspeptin was significantly higher in children when compared with adults (mean plasma kisspeptin in pmol/L: 12.3 ± 0.9, adults; 40.9 ± 3.3, children, P Conclusions We report that circulating kisspeptin is elevated in both boys and girls when compared with adults. Furthermore both boys and girls may have distinct, age-dependent concentrations of circulating kisspeptin. Further studies may determine if plasma kisspeptin could be used as a clinically useful biochemical marker of reproductive development in children.
- Published
- 2013
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