AUTHOR=Kim Kyuho , Oh Tae Jung , Park Young Suk , Chang Won , Cho Hyen Chung , Lee Jihye , Lee Yun Kyung , Choi Sung Hee , Jang Hak Chul 

TITLE=Association Between Fat Mass or Fat Fibrotic Gene Expression and Polyneuropathy in Subjects With Obesity: A Korean Metabolic Bariatric Surgery Cohort

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Endocrinology

VOLUME=13

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/endocrinology/articles/10.3389/fendo.2022.881093

DOI=10.3389/fendo.2022.881093

ISSN=1664-2392

ABSTRACT=<sec><title>Aim</title><p>We aimed to investigate the association between obesity-related parameters and polyneuropathy (PN) and to evaluate inflammatory and fibrotic gene expression of fat as a potential mediator in subjects scheduled to undergo metabolic bariatric surgery (MBS).</p></sec><sec><title>Methods</title><p>This was a cross-sectional study of MBS cohort. Body composition and visceral fat area (VFA) were quantified by bioimpedance analysis and computed tomography scan. PN was defined by Michigan Neuropathy Screening Instrument–Physical Examination score was &gt; 2. We measured mRNA expression level of <italic>FN1</italic>, <italic>TIMP1</italic>, <italic>CCL2</italic>, and <italic>CXCL8</italic> in omental fat tissue.</p></sec><sec><title>Results</title><p>Of 189 subjects (mean age, 39.4 years; 69 [36.5%] male; mean body mass index, 38.5 kg/m<sup>2</sup>), prevalence of PN was 9.1% in subjects without diabetes (n = 110) and 20.3% in those with diabetes (n = 79). Nondiabetic subjects with PN had higher homeostatic model assessment-insulin resistance (6.8 ± 3.5 <italic>vs</italic> 4.5 ± 2.8, <italic>p</italic> = 0.041), and increased fat mass (58.5 ± 12.5 kg <italic>vs</italic> 50.5 ± 10.7 kg, <italic>p</italic> = 0.034), and VFA (309.4 ± 117.6 cm<sup>2</sup><italic>vs</italic> 243.5 ± 94.2 cm<sup>2</sup>, <italic>p</italic> = 0.046) compared to those without PN. These obesity-related parameters were significantly associated with the presence of PN after adjusting for conventional risk factors of PN only in subjects without diabetes. In contrast, a fibrotic gene such as <italic>TIMP1</italic> was independently associated with PN (adjusted odds ratio of 1.56; 95% confidence interval 1.06, 2.30) only in subjects with diabetes.</p></sec><sec><title>Conclusion</title><p>Increased adiposity was independently associated with PN in obese subjects without diabetes. In contrast, this association was not significant after adjusting conventional risk factors of PN in obese subjects with diabetes but increased fibrotic gene expression in fat was associated with PN in this group.</p></sec>