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Distribution and effect of ghrelin genotype on plasma lipid and apolipoprotein profiles in obese and nonobese Chinese subjects

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Abstract

Purpose

The hormone ghrelin has an important role in a wide range of metabolic and nonmetabolic processes. Ghrelin gene polymorphisms have been reported to influence obesity or lipid abnormalities in some ethnic groups. This study was conducted mainly to examine the possible association of ghrelin − 604 G > A and Leu72Met polymorphisms with obesity and related traits in a Southwest Chinese population.

Methods

Three hundred and eighty-six Han Chinese individuals (118 obese and 268 normal weight control subjects) in the Chengdu area were studied using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) analysis. Clinical and biochemical parameters were also analyzed.

Results

The genotype and allele frequencies of ghrelin gene polymorphisms in participants with obesity showed no significant difference compared to those in nonobese controls. However, in the nonobese control group, carriers of genotype Met/Met at the Leu72Met site had higher serum TC and LDL-C concentrations than those of the Leu/Leu genotype (P < 0.05). When nonobese subjects were stratified by sex, the genotype-dependent effects on TC and LDL-C were more evident, although this was observed only in females. In addition, genotype-related effects on these lipid parameters at this site were observed in male obese subjects only.

Conclusions

The Leu72Met polymorphism of the ghrelin gene is associated with altered plasma TC and LDL-C concentrations, and the effects on TC and LDL-C levels are sex-dependent in both nonobese and obese subjects in the Chinese population of the Chengdu area.

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Data availability

The datasets and materials generated and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the participants, coordinators, and administrators for their support and the Sichuan University laboratories for their support during the study.

Funding

This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant no: 39770322).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Stomatology, West China College of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China

    Ruqiang Bai

  2. Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, West China School of Preclinical and Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China

    Yu Liu

  3. Laboratory of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China

    Chong Zhao, Jinhang Gao & Rui Liu

Authors
  1. Ruqiang Bai
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  2. Yu Liu
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  3. Chong Zhao
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  4. Jinhang Gao
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  5. Rui Liu
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Contributions

All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Ruqiang Bai, Yu Liu, and Jinhang Gao performed the laboratory experiments; Chong Zhao contributed with material preparation and data collection; and Ruqiang Bai and Rui Liu did the statistical analysis and wrote the paper. All the authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Rui Liu.

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Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethics approval

This study was performed in line with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. Approval was granted by the University Ethics Committee.

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Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Informed consent for publication was obtained from all individuals included in the study.

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Bai, R., Liu, Y., Zhao, C. et al. Distribution and effect of ghrelin genotype on plasma lipid and apolipoprotein profiles in obese and nonobese Chinese subjects. Hormones 20, 527–535 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42000-020-00258-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s42000-020-00258-y

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