Ghrelin Levels During Puberty: Relationship with Anthropometric Measures and Other Hormones.

Lim,  Jung Sub; Lee,  Seong Yong; Shin,  Choong Ho; Yang,  Sei Won

Ann Pediatr Endocrinol Metab > Volume 10(2); 2005 > Article

Original Article

Journal of Korean Society of Pediatric Endocrinology 2005;10(2): 138-146.

Ghrelin Levels During Puberty: Relationship with Anthropometric Measures and Other Hormones.

Jung Sub Lim, Seong Yong Lee, Choong Ho Shin, Sei Won Yang

¹Department of Pediatrics of KCCH, Seoul, Korea.
²Department of Pediatrics, Seoul National University Boramae Hospital, Seoul, Korea. gnoygnoes@hanmail.net
³Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea.

Abstract

PURPOSE
Puberty is a rapid changing periods of body composition and endocrine system. Already leptin was known to be closely related to body composition and was known to change according to Tanner stage. Ghrelin, a natural GH secretagogue, was also known to be related with weight change, fat utilization, insulin secretion, and influenced by sex steroid. But the relationship between ghrelin and other parameter according to pubertal development is not established yet. METHODS: Cross-sectional study of 101 peripubertal children (54 males and 47 females) aged 8.5 to 17.0 years. We examined body composition (free fat mass, fat mass, % body fat) by bioelectric impendence measurements. Total ghrelin, leptin, insulin was measured by radioimmunoassay (RIA). Relationship between ghrelin, leptin, insulin and body composition data was analysed according to Tanner stage controlling gender using SPSS ver 11.0.
RESULTS
Ghrelin concentration is only correlated with Tanner stage (r=-0.21, P<0.05) and GIR (r=0.29, P<0.01). When we divided subjects by sex, even though there was no difference of ghrelin level between both sex, only male is correlated with Tanner stage (r=-0.28, P<0.05) and GIR (r=0.36, P<0.01). There was no difference of ghrelin level between each Tanner stage and no correlation was observed with other body composition and endocrine parameter including leptin.
CONCLUSION
These data suggest that Ghrelin levels decrease during puberty at least in boys as pubertal development proceeds but it is minimal. During puberty, ghrelin levels are stable. Ghrelin may have no relationship with other pubertal change. The relation of ghrelin and insulin sensitivity need to be further investigated.

Keywords: Ghrelin;Leptin;Tanner stage;Puberty;Bioelectric impedance measurements (BIA)