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Decreased plasma orexin-A levels in obese individuals

International Journal of Obesity volume 26, pages 274–276 (2002)Cite this article

Abstract

Orexin-A and -B stimulate appetite and food intake in rats. Orexins and orexin receptors are present in the hypothalamus as well as the enteric nervous system, the pancreas and the gut. The presence of orexins in peripheral blood, however, has not yet been reported. To determine whether orexin-A is present in human plasma and is related to body weight, we measured plasma orexin-A and leptin levels in a population with a body mass index (BMI) range from 19.8 to 59 kg/m2. Plasma orexin-A levels correlated negatively and plasma leptin levels correlated positively with BMI. In obese and morbidly obese individuals, orexin-A levels were significantly lower and leptin levels were significantly higher when compared to normal. Our results support previous data suggesting that orexin-A acts also in a peripheral manner. The fact that lower levels of plasma orexin-A are present in obese individuals suggests that it is involved in the regulation of human energy metabolism.

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Acknowledgements

We wish to thank JW Wiersma for technical assistance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of General Surgery, Nutrition and Toxicology Institute Maastricht (NUTRIM), Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands

    JA Adam, FMH van Dielen, PB Soeters, WA Buurman & JWM Greve

  2. Department of Clinical Chemistry, University Hospital Maastricht, Maastricht, The Netherlands

    PPCA Menheere

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  1. JA Adam
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  2. PPCA Menheere
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  3. FMH van Dielen
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  5. WA Buurman
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Adam, J., Menheere, P., van Dielen, F. et al. Decreased plasma orexin-A levels in obese individuals. Int J Obes 26, 274–276 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ijo.0801868

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