MedWire News: Leptin and adiponectin are both associated with systemic inflammatory processes during chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbations, research shows.

Writing in the journal Respiratory Medicine, Stelios Loukides (University of Athens Medical School, Greece) and team explain that adipose tissue may be an important contributor to systemic inflammation in COPD, particularly to that observed in exacerbations of COPD.

To investigate, the team studied data on 63 COPD patients with acute exacerbations who were admitted to two university hospitals.

The patients’ levels of plasma leptin, adiponectin, and their ratio (L/A), as well as serum biomarkers of systemic inflammation, including C-reactive protein (CRP), tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and interleukin-6 (IL-6), were assessed at admission, resolution, and 8 weeks after resolution (stable phase).

Only COPD patients without comorbidities were included in the study to eliminate possible bias from diseases associated with adipose tissue hormones.

Analysis revealed that levels of leptin on admission were higher than at resolution and during the stable phase 8 weeks later. In contrast, levels of adiponectin were significantly higher at resolution than at admission and during the stable phase. The L/A ratio was significantly lower at resolution than at admission and during the stable phase.

Levels of CRP, IL-6, and TNF-α were also significantly lower at resolution than at admission, with no further alteration of their levels between resolution and the stable phase. After adjustment, leptin, adiponectin and the L/A ratio were significantly associated with IL-6 and TNF-α levels both on admission and in the stable phase.

Loukides and team conclude: “In the present study we have shown that both leptin and adiponectin are associated with the systemic inflammatory process of exacerbations of COPD and their most significant associations seem to be those with IL-6 and TNF-α.”

They add: “Our data provide evidence for a significant association between the two adipokines and the inflammatory process, suggesting a possible additional role of the adipose tissue, besides its energy storage capacity, during exacerbations of COPD.”

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