Interleukin-18 and testosterone levels in men with metabolic syndrome |
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| Authors: | Petya Angelova Zdravko Kamenov Adelina Tsakova Yosif El-Darawish Haruki Okamura |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Clinic of Endocrinology, Alexandrovska University Hospital, Medical University-Sofia, Sofia, Bulgaria;2. Central Clinical Laboratory, Alexandrovska University Hospital, Medical University-Sofia, Sofia, Bulgaria;3. Laboratory of Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy, Hyogo College of Medicine, Hyogo, Japan;4. Laboratory of Host Defense, Hyogo College of Medicine, Hyogo, Japan |
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| Abstract: | Objective: Interleukin 18 (IL-18) is an adipokine associated with obesity. Data about the relationship of IL-18 to the metabolic syndrome (MS) are still scarce. Low testosterone (T) levels are common in men with MS, but we did not find data about the levels of IL-18 in men with low T. The aim of this study was to determine the levels of IL-18 in men with MS with or without low T. Patients and methods: A total of 251 men were included in the study. Of them 218 had MS (IDF 2005) and they were divided according to their morning total testosterone (TT) level (cutoff 10.4?nmol/l) into two groups: MS-low T (N?=?84) and MS-normal T (N?=?134). The control group consisted of 33 men without MS and low T. IL-18 was determined in serum using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. A small group of eight men with MS and low T levels received testosterone therapy for three months and physical and laboratory parameters were monitored at the end of that period.Results: MS men were at mean age (±SD)?=?53.77?±?9.59 years; body mass index (BMI)?=?34.0?±?6.3?kg/m2; and TT?=?12.59?±?5.66?nmol/l. The control group was at age?=?52.12?±?5.2 years (NS); BMI?=?25.6?±?2.4?kg/m2 (p?p?p?p?p?p?Conclusions: In this study, higher IL-18 levels were found in the presence of MS compared to healthy men, but they did not differ between men having MS with or without LOH. |
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| Keywords: | Interleukin 18 testosterone metabolic syndrome hypogonadism |
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