| dc.description.abstract | Background: Obesity is associated with a mild chronic inflammatory
response, which has been suggested to be pivotal in the development of
cardiometabolic alterations of obesity. However, little is known about the
involvement of acute inflammation.
Objective: To evaluate whether circulating neutrophils, markers of acute
inflammation, are associated (quantitatively and qualitatively) with adolescent
obesity and whether leptin modulates these associations.
Subjects and methods: We assessed 528 adolescents (16.8 yr old, 47% females),
without chronic/acute illness. We measured anthropometry and dual energy
X-ray absorptiometry and calculated fat mass percentage (FM%). Fasting
serum glucose, high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol, and triglycerides
were used with blood pressure and waist circumference to compute a
metabolic z-score. Leukocyte and neutrophil counts were obtained, together
with levels of serum leptin. In a subsample of 23 males, flow cytometry was
used to assess degranulation (CD66b expression) of neutrophils.
Results: Female sex and obesity were positively related to mean neutrophil
counts (p<0.05). When accounting for sex and weight status, leptin was
associated with neutrophil counts (p<0.05), partially explaining the
association between obesity and neutrophil counts. Neutrophil counts were
related to metabolic risk z-scores, controlling for fat mass. Participants with
elevated FM% showed more neutrophil degranulation than controls
(p<0.05).
Conclusions: Participants with increased adiposity had higher circulating
neutrophil counts, suggesting acute inflammation. Furthermore, the
neutrophils showed more degranulation, indicating inflammation.
Obesity-induced alteration of the adipose secretory pattern (i.e., changes in
leptin levels) could be involved in acute inflammation. | |
