Evaluation of Visfatin in Patients with Obesity, Metabolic Syndrome, Insulin Resistance and Impaired Glucose Tolerance; Case-Control Study

INTRODUCTION: Visfatin is a novel adipokine originally described to be produced predominantly by visceral fat tissue. The aim of the study was aimed to investigate visfatin level in non-diabetic obese patients with or without MetS and prediabetes. METHODS: The cross-sectional study enrolled 169 subjects. Anthropometric measures and metabolic parameters were obtained. Exclusion criteria were pregnancy, smoking, any of the chronic disease. Blood sample was collected overnight fasting and centrifuged, and stored at refrigerator at -70º degree until to be assayed. Visfatin was assayed with ELISA method. RESULTS: The study enrolled 169 subjects aged 36.9 ± 8.5 years (control group = 52 and obese group: 117; and Male: 28 and Female: 141). Among obese subjects, the frequency of MetS, and PreDM was respectively 35.1% (n = 41) and 70.1% (n = 82). Mean concentration of serum visfatin among subjects with obesity was significantly higher those with normal weight subjects (10.39 ± 2.30 versus 6.9 ± 2.2 ng/mL; p < 0.001). The subjects with IR+ (10.58 ± 2.48 ng/mL ) had significantly higher visfatin concentration than those with IR- (10.58 ± 2.48 ng/mL and 8.47 ± 2.65 ng/mL) (p < 0.001, respectively). Visfatin positively correlated with BMI (r = +0.627 and p < 0.001), WHR (r = +0.203 and p = 0.023), HOMA-IR (r = +0.329 and p < 0.001), and hs-CRP (r = +0.421 and p < 0.001). Mean concentration of serum visfatin was not significantly different between groups of MetS and PreDM. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Visfatin was associated with body mass index and insulin resistance, but not with metabolic syndrome and impaired glucose metabolism.