Serum concentrations of insulin, ghrelin, adiponectin, leptin, leptin receptor and lipocalin-2 in children with celiac disease who do and do not adhere to a gluten-free diet

Abstract

Background/Aims: The roles of the many bioactive peptides in the pathogenesis of celiac disease remain unclear. To evaluate the serum concentrations of insulin, ghrelin, adiponectin, leptin, leptin receptor, and lipocalin-2 in children with celiac disease who do and do not adhere to a gluten-free diet (GFD, intermittent adherence). Methods: Prepubertal, pubertal, and adolescent celiac children were included in this study (74 girls and 53 boys on a GFD and 80 girls and 40 boys off of a GFD). Results: Insulin levels in prepubertal (9.01±4.43 IU/mL), pubertal (10.3±3.62 IU/mL), and adolescent (10.8±4.73 IU/mL) girls were higher than those in boys (5.88±2.02, 8.81±2.88, and 8.81±2.26 IU/mL, respectively) and were neither age-dependent nor influenced by a GFD. Prepubertal children off of a GFD exhibited higher ghrelin levels than prepubertal children on a GFD. Adiponectin levels were not age-, sex-nor GFD-dependent. Adherence to a GFD had no effect on the expression of leptin, leptin receptor, and lipocalin-2. Conclusions: Adherence to a GFD had no influence on the adiponectin, leptin, leptin receptor, and lipocalin-2 concentrations in celiac children, but a GFD decreased highly elevated ghrelin levels in prepubertal children. Further studies are required to determine whether increased insulin concentrations in girls with celiac disease is suggestive of an increased risk for hyperinsulinemia.