Evaluation of the Relationship Between Adropin Levels and Blood Pressure in Obese Adolescents

Adropin is a bioactive protein that maintains energy balance through the metabolism of glucose and lipids. Adropin is associated with blood pressure, endothelial function, and glucose metabolism, according to reported studies. High blood pressure is one of the complications of obesity.

Our study investigated the relationship between adropin levels and systolic and diastolic blood pressure in obese adolescents.

The study was conducted with a total of 88 adolescents, 45 females and 43 males, aged 10 - 18 years. The mean age of the participants was 13.79 ± 1.98 years. Participants were divided into two groups: ”obese” (n = 61) and ”control” (n = 27). Adolescents with a body mass index (BMI) above the 95% percentile for age, gender, and race were defined as ”obese.” The control group comprised adolescents with a body mass index between the 5th and 85th percentiles. A sample was taken from the forearm pit of the subjects after fasting for at least 12 hours for the determination of glucose, insulin, urea, creatinine, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT), C- reactive protein (CRP), total cholesterol, low-density lipoproteincholesterol (LDL-cholesterol), high-density lipoprotein- cholesterol (HDL- cholesterol), triglyceride, thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), free T4 (fT4), and 25-hydroxyvitamin D3. In both groups, systolic and diastolic blood pressures were assessed using an aneroid manometer and a suitable cuff after subjects had rested for at least 10 minutes in the outpatient clinic. The following formula determined the homeostatic model of assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR): fasting insulin (uIU/mL)  fasting glucose (mg/dL) /405. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit was used to measure adropin levels.

The insulin, HOMA-IR, AST, ALT, GGT, CRP, triglyceride, and LDL-cholesterol levels of adolescents in the obese group were statistically significantly higher than those in the control group (P < 0.05). HDL-cholesterol and 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 levels of adolescents in the obese group were statistically significantly lower than those of the control group (P < 0.05). There was no statistically significant difference between groups in glucose, urea, creatinine, total cholesterol, TSH, fT4, and adropin levels (P > 0.05). In the obese group, there was an inverse and statistically significant correlation between adropin level and diastolic blood pressure (P: 0.029; P < 0.05).

We found an inverse relationship between adropin levels and DBP but no relationship between adropin levels and SBP in obese adolescents.