Interleukin-7 Plasma Levels in Human Differentiate Anorexia Nervosa, Constitutional Thinness and Healthy Obesity.

Abstract

INTRODUCTION:

Interleukin-7 (IL-7) is a cytokine involved in energy homeostasis as demonstrated in rodents. Anorexia nervosa is characterized by restrained eating behavior despite adaptive orexigenic regulation profile including high ghrelin plasma levels. Constitutional thinness is a physiological condition of resistance to weight gain with physiological anorexigenic profile including high Peptide YY plasma level. Healthy obesity can be considered as a physiological state of resistance to weight loss with opposite appetite regulating profile to constitutional thinness including low Peptide YY plasma level. No studies in IL-7 are yet available in those populations. Therefore we evaluated circadian plasma levels of IL-7 in anorexia nervosa compared to constitutional thinness, healthy obese and control females.

MATERIALS AND METHODS:

10 restrictive-type anorexia nervosa women, 5 bingeing/purging anorexia nervosa woman, 5 recovered restrictive anorexia nervosa women, 4 bulimic females, 10 constitutional thinness women, 7 healthy obese females, and 10 normal weight women controls were enrolled in this cross-sectional study, performed in endocrinology unit and academic laboratory. Twelve-point circadian profiles of plasma IL-7 levels were measured in each subject.

RESULTS:

24h mean IL-7 plasma levels (pg/ml, mean±SEM) were decreased in restrictive-type anorexia nervosa (123.4±14.4, p<0.0037), bingeing/purging anorexia nervosa (24.2±5.6, p<0.001), recovered restrictive anorexia nervosa (64.2±16.1, p = 0.01) and healthy obese patients (51±3.2, p<0.001) compared to controls (187.7±28.6). Bulimic patients (197.4±42.7) and constitutional thinness patients (264.3±35.8) were similar to controls.

CONCLUSIONS:

Low IL-7 is part of the adaptive profile in restrictive-type anorexia nervosa, confirming its difference with constitutional thinness. Healthy obesity, with low IL-7, is once again in mirror image of constitutional thinness with normal high IL-7.

• Authors: Natacha Germain, Odile Viltart, Anne Loyens, Céline Bruchet, Katia Nadin, Isabelle Wolowczuk, Bruno Estour, Bogdan Galusca
• Journal: PloS one (PLoS One) Vol. 11 Issue 9 Pg. e0161890 ( 2016) ISSN: 1932-6203 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 27611669 (Publication Type: Journal Article)

Chemical References

• Ghrelin
• Interleukin-7
• Peptide YY

Topics

• Adult
• Anorexia Nervosa (blood)
• Body Composition (physiology)
• Cross-Sectional Studies
• Female
• Ghrelin (blood)
• Humans
• Interleukin-7 (blood)
• Obesity (blood)
• Peptide YY (blood)
• Thinness (blood)
• Young Adult