Serum Leucine-Rich Alpha-2 Glycoprotein 1 Levels in Patients with Lipodystrophy Syndromes

Abstract

Serum concentrations of leucine-rich alpha-2 glycoprotein 1 (LRG1) are elevated in several cardio-metabolic and inflammatory diseases. LRG1 also plays an important role in the development of hepatic steatosis and insulin resistance. In lipodystrophies (LDs), severe cardio-metabolic complications can be observed. The dysregulation of several adipokines plays a significant role in the clinical manifestation of this syndrome. To date, there have been no studies of LRG1 levels in non-HIV-LD patients. We performed a cross-sectional analysis of LRG1 serum levels in 60 patients with non-HIV-associated LD and in 60 age-, sex-, and BMI-matched healthy controls. Furthermore, we investigated the gene expression of Lrg1 in a mouse model of generalised LD. No significant difference was found in the median concentration of LRG1 serum levels between LD patients (18.2 ng/L; interquartile range 8.3 ng/L) and healthy controls (17.8 ng/L; interquartile range 11.0 ng/L). LRG1 serum concentrations correlated positively with CRP serum levels (p Lrg1 mRNA expression was downregulated in the adipose tissue, whereas in the liver, no difference in Lrg1 expression between LD and wild-type mice was detected. In summary, circulating levels of LRG1 are associated with low-grade inflammation but cannot distinguish between patients with LD and controls.

Keywords

• adipokine
• diabetes mellitus
• insulin resistance
• leucine-rich 2-glycoprotein 1
• lipodystrophy
• obesity