Ceramide D18:1/24:1 As a Potential Biomarker to Differentiate Obesity Subtypes with Unfavorable Health Outcomes

Overview

Journal Lipids Health Dis

Publisher Biomed Central

Specialties Biochemistry
Endocrinology

Date 2023 Oct 4

PMID 37794463

Authors

Baowen Yu

Moran Hu

Wanzi Jiang

Yizhe Ma

Jingya Ye

Qinyi Wu

Wen Guo

Yan Sun

Min Zhou

Yiwen Xu

Zhoulu Wu

Yiwen Wang

Sin Man Lam

Guanghou Shui

Jingyu Gu

John Zhong Li

Zhenzhen Fu

Yingyun Gong

Hongwen Zhou

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: The criteria for metabolically healthy obesity (MHO) and metabolically unhealthy obesity (MUO) remain controversial. This research aimed to identify a potential biomarker to differentiate the subtypes of obesity.

Methods: The study conducted a lipidomic evaluation of ceramide in the serum of 77 Chinese adults who had undergone hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamps. These adults were divided into three groups according to the clinical data: normal weight control group (N = 21), MHO (N = 20), and MUO (N = 36).

Results: The serum Cer d18:1/24:1 level in the MHO group was lower than that in the MUO group. As the Cer d18:1/24:1 level increased, insulin sensitivity decreased, and the unfavorable parameters increased in parallel. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that serum Cer d18:1/24:1 levels were independently correlated with MUO in obesity. Individuals with higher levels of Cer d18:1/24:1 also had an elevated risk of cardiovascular disease. Most ceramide subtype levels increased in obesity compared to normal-weight individuals, but the levels of serum Cer d18:0/18:0 and Cer d18:1/16:0 decreased in obesity.

Conclusions: The relationships between ceramide subtypes and metabolic profiles might be heterogeneous in populations with different body weights. Cer d18:1/24:1 could be a biomarker that can be used to differentiate MUO from MHO, and to better predict who will develop unfavorable health outcomes among obese individuals.

Trial Registration: The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University's Institutional Review Board authorized this study protocol, and all participants provided written informed consent (2014-SR-003) prior to study entry.

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