Serum levels of visfatin, sirtuin-1, and interleukin-6 in stable and acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

BACKGROUND: Visfatin is an adipokine that increased under inflammatory conditions. Moreover, sirtuin-1 possesses regulatory effects on inflammatory factors. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the serum level of visfatin in patients with stable and acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AE-COPD). MATERIALS AND METHODS: In a case–control study, thirty patients with stable COPD (S-COPD), thirty patients with AE-COPD, and thirty control subjects were enrolled. Pulmonary function tests and blood sampling were performed on all participants. Serum visfatin, sirtuin-1, and interleukin (IL)-6 levels were measured using the sandwich ELISA method and assessed their association with study parameters. RESULTS: The findings of the current study revealed that serum levels of visfatin in AE-COPD patients were higher than those of healthy controls and S-COPD (for healthy control; standardized mean difference [SMD] = 2.63, 95% confidence interval [CI] =1.31–2.83, P < 0.001, and for S-COPD; SMD = 1.53, 95% CI = 0.21–2.85, P < 0.05). On the other hand, the serum levels of sirtuin-1 were higher in healthy controls compared to the S-COPD and AE-COPD patients (for S-COPD; SMD = 1.56, 95% CI = 0.018–3.11, P < 0.05, for AE-COPD; SMD = 1.50, 95% CI = 0.048–3.04, P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Elevated visfatin and IL-6 levels demonstrated their pro-inflammatory effects in patients with COPD, especially in AE-COPD patients. In addition, the negative association found between serum visfatin and sirtuin-1 levels suggested the pathophysiologic and therapeutic roles of these factors in COPD patients.