Circulating Prokineticin 2 Levels Are Increased in Children with Obesity and Correlated with Insulin Resistance

OBJECTIVE: Prokineticin 2 (PK2) has been shown to regulate food intake, fat production, and the inflammation process, which play vital roles in the pathogenesis of obesity. The first aim of this study was to investigate serum PK2 levels in children with obesity and normal-weight children. The second aim was to compare the levels of PK2 between children with obesity, with and without nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). METHODS: Seventy normal-weight children and 91 children with obesity (22 with NAFLD) were recruited. Circulating PK2, IL-6, and TNF-α were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Anthropometric and biochemical measurements related to adiposity, lipid profile, and insulin resistance were examined for all participants. RESULTS: Serum PK2 was significantly higher in children with obesity than in the normal-weight controls. Circulating PK2 levels were not different between the patients with and without NAFLD. Circulating PK2 was positively correlated with BMI, BMI z-score, insulin, glucose, HOMA-IR, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, alanine aminotransferase, and gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase. Binary logistic regression revealed that the odds ratios for obesity were significantly elevated with increasing PK2. CONCLUSIONS: PK2 was strongly associated with obesity, and it may also be related to metabolic disorders and insulin resistance. This trial is registered with ChiCTR2000038838.