Plasma α–melanocyte-stimulating hormone: sex differences and correlations with obesity

Donahoo, William T.; Hernandez, Teri L.; Costa, Jessica L.; Jensen, Dalan R.; Morris, Alison M.; Brennan, Miles B.; Hochgeschwender, Ute; Eckel, Robert H.

doi:10.1016/j.metabol.2008.07.028

« Previous Next »Metabolism - Clinical and Experimental
Volume 58, Issue 1 , Pages 16-21, January 2009

Plasma α–melanocyte-stimulating hormone: sex differences and correlations with obesity

William T. Donahoo
- Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism, and Diabetes, University of Colorado Denver, P.O. Box 6511, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
Teri L. Hernandez
- Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism, and Diabetes, University of Colorado Denver, P.O. Box 6511, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
Jessica L. Costa
- Department of Biology, Eleanor Roosevelt Institute, University of Denver, Denver, CO 80206, USA
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland 1142, New Zealand
Dalan R. Jensen
- Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism, and Diabetes, University of Colorado Denver, P.O. Box 6511, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
Alison M. Morris
- Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism, and Diabetes, University of Colorado Denver, P.O. Box 6511, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
Miles B. Brennan
- Department of Biology, Eleanor Roosevelt Institute, University of Denver, Denver, CO 80206, USA
Ute Hochgeschwender
- Developmental Biology Program, Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, Oklahoma City, OK 73104, USA
Robert H. Eckel
- Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism, and Diabetes, University of Colorado Denver, P.O. Box 6511, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
- Corresponding author. Tel.: +1 303 724 3923.

Received 15 October 2007; accepted 29 July 2008.

Abstract

Rodent experiments raise the possibility of a regulatory role of peripheral α–melanocyte-stimulating hormone (α-MSH) in obesity and metabolism, but human data on peripheral α-MSH levels remain fragmentary. Because of the possible relationship between α-MSH and obesity, we endeavored to test the hypothesis that higher levels of α-MSH in obese patients would correlate with leptin levels and with other markers of obesity. Sixty normal-weight to obese healthy men and women participated. Weight, measures of body composition, and diet diaries were obtained; fasting blood was analyzed for α-MSH, lipids, glucose, insulin, leptin, and adiponectin. To begin to understand the source of peripherally measured hormones, α-MSH was also measured in serum samples from 5 individuals with untreated Addison disease. Levels of α-MSH were higher in men vs women (10.1 ± 4.3 vs 7.6 ± 3.4 pmol/L, P = .019), and α-MSH levels were higher in patients with Addison disease vs controls (17.7 ± 2.3 vs 8.7 ± 0.52 pmol/L, P < .001). Measures of adiposity correlated with insulin and leptin in men and women, and with adiponectin in women. α–Melanocyte-stimulating hormone levels did not correlate significantly with any parameter of adiposity or diet composition. The elevated α-MSH levels in patients with untreated Addison disease suggest possible pituitary secretion of α-MSH to the periphery. The lack of correlation between peripheral α-MSH and parameters of adiposity suggests that endogenous plasma α-MSH levels are not a metric for body composition per se.