Serum osteopontin in relation to insulin resistance in obese adults

Background Obesity is characterized by chronic low-grade inflammatory responses, which may explain the development of obesity-related pathologies, such as insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome (MetS). It is also associated with abnormal levels of cytokines, and osteopontin may be one of them. Aim To assess serum osteopontin level in obese adults with and without MetS and to study its relation to insulin resistance. Patients and methods This comparative study was conducted on 50 obese adults recruited from Endocrinology and Metabolism Department of Al-Zahraa University Hospital. They were divided into two groups according to the presence of MetS. Group 1 included 25 patients without MetS, and group 2 included 25 patients with MetS. Detailed history, clinical examination, and anthropometric measurements were assessed for all selected patients. Fasting plasma glucose, glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, fasting insulin, and osteopontin were measured, and then insulin resistance index (IR) was measured as follows: [INLINE:1] Results TC, TGs, LDL-C, fasting plasma glucose and insulin, HBA1c, and osteopontin were statistically significantly higher in group 2 as compared with group 1. A significant positive correlation was found between osteopontin on one hand and systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, fasting blood sugar, LDL-C, TC, TG, HbA1c, fasting plasma insulin, and homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance on the other. No correlation was found between osteopontin and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Conclusion Elevated serum osteopontin level is associated with MetS and its different components and thus it may serve as a diagnostic biomarker for MetS.