Relationship between resistin and aPAI-1 levels with insulin resistance in Saudi children.

Background: Association of resistin with insulin resistance (IR) in humans is still controversial and few studies have investigated the association of plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) with IR in children. The purpose of the present study was therefore to evaluate serum levels of resistin and active PAI-1 (aPAI-1) in Saudi children and their association with the various obesity-related complications.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 73 boys and 77 girls with varying body mass index (BMI) were recruited. They were assessed for anthropometric measures and fasting serum levels of glucose, insulin, lipid profile, resistin, angiotensin II (ANG II) and aPAI-1.

Results: Resistin was positively correlated with hips (r = 0.33, P < 0.01), waist (r = 0.23, P < 0.05) and BMI (r = 0.33, P < 0.01). The association of resistin with the markers of obesity was also significant in girls but lost significance in boys. aPAI-1 was positively correlated with total cholesterol (r = 0.24; P < 0.01), triglycerides (r = 0.2, P < 0.05), HOMA-IR (r = 0.26, P < 0.01) and insulin (r = 0.26, P < 0.01). The significant association of aPAI-1 with IR was also true in girls but lost significance in boys.

Conclusion: Resistin is not correlated with IR and further studies are needed to explore the role of resistin especially in childhood obesity. In contrast, increased levels of PAI-1 may contribute to the risk of cardiovascular diseases related to obesity and insulin resistance in children. The observed gender-related differences in the association between resistin, aPAI-1 with obesity markers and IR could be attributed to sexual dimorphism in body fat distribution.