Context and objective: No current biomarker can reliably predict visceral and liver fat content, both of which are risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Vagal tone has been suggested to influence regional fat deposition. Pancreatic polypeptide (PP) is secreted from the endocrine pancreas under vagal control. We investigated the utility of PP in predicting visceral and liver fat. Patients and Methods: Fasting plasma PP concentrations were measured in 104 overweight and obese subjects (46 men and 58 women). In the same subjects, total and regional adipose tissue, including total visceral adipose tissue (VAT) and total subcutaneous adipose tissue (TSAT), were measured using whole body magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Intrahepatocellular lipid content (IHCL) was quantified by proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy ((1)H-MRS). Results: Fasting plasma PP concentrations positively and significantly correlated with both VAT (r=0.57, p<0.001) and IHCL (r=0.51, p <0.001), but not with TSAT (r=0.02, p=0.88). Fasting PP concentrations independently predicted VAT after controlling for age and gender. Fasting PP concentrations independently predicted IHCL after controlling for age, gender, BMI, WHR, HOMA2-IR and serum concentrations of triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT). Fasting PP concentrations were associated with serum ALT, TG, TC, LDL and HDL cholesterol and blood pressure (p<0.05). These associations were mediated by IHCL and/or VAT. Fasting PP and HOMA2-IR were independently significantly associated with hepatic steatosis (p<0.01). Conclusions: Pancreatic polypeptide is a novel predictor of visceral and liver fat content, and thus a potential biomarker for cardiovascular risk stratification and targeted treatment of patients with ectopic fat deposition.
This research output has an Altmetric Attention Score of 4. This is our high-level measure of the quality and quantity of online attention that it has received. This Attention Score, as well as the ranking and number of research outputs shown below, was calculated when the research output was last mentioned on 11 December 2014.
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#11,364,039
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#135
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Altmetric has tracked 34,410,315 research outputs across all sources so far. This one has received more attention than most of these and is in the 66th percentile.
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