Adiposity, Adipokines, and Exhaled Nitric Oxide in Healthy Adults Without Asthma

Abstract

Background. Epidemiological studies have shown that obesity/adiposity is closely associated with asthma in terms of development, severity, and control of asthma. However, effects of obesity/adiposity on airway inflammation are not well known in subjects without asthma. We assessed whether fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO), a marker of eosinophilic airway inflammation, was associated with obesity/adiposity in nonasthmatic healthy adults. Methods. We measured FeNO and serum levels of adipose-derived hormones and adipokines in 117 adult subjects without a previous diagnosis of asthma or current asthmatic symptoms. Associations between FeNO and measures of obesity/adiposity [body mass index (BMI), body fat mass, and body fat percentages] were examined by correlation analyses and uni- and multivariate linear regression analyses. Results. FeNO was not significantly associated with BMI, body fat mass, or body fat percentage by a multivariate linear regression model, adjusting for age, gender, chronic rhinitis, atopy, and lung function. No significant association of FeNO with serum levels of leptin, adiponectin, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, or interleukin (IL)-6 was observed. Conclusions. These findings suggest that in healthy subjects without asthma, obesity/adiposity has no significant effect on eosinophilic airway inflammation and that hormones and systemic inflammation derived from adipose tissue do not affect eosinophilic airway inflammation.

• adipokines
• adipose-derived hormones
• adiposity
• airway inflammation
• body mass index
• exhaled nitric oxide

Acknowledgments

This study was supported by a grant from the Korea Healthcare technology R&D project, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Republic of Korea (A040153).

Declaration Of Interest

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.