Independent association of elevated serum hepatocyte growth factor levels with development of insulin resistance in a 10-year prospective study

• Published in: Clinical endocrinology (Oxford) Vol. 79; no. 1; pp. 43 - 48
• Main Authors: Tsukagawa, Eri, Adachi, Hisashi, Hirai, Yuji, Enomoto, Mika, Fukami, Ako, Ogata, Kinuka, Kasahara, Akiko, Yokoi, Kanako, Imaizumi, Tsutomu
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.07.2013; Blackwell; Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
• Subjects: Aged; Biological and medical sciences; Cholesterol, HDL - blood; Cross-Sectional Studies; Diabetes; Endocrinopathies; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Hepatocyte Growth Factor - blood; Homeostasis; Humans; Hyperglycemia; Hypertension - physiopathology; Insulin; Insulin Resistance; Logistic Models; Male; Medical research; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Miscellaneous; Prospective Studies; Public health. Hygiene; Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine; Risk Assessment; Risk Factors; Time Factors; Vertebrates: endocrinology; Endocrinopathy; Prospective; Target tissue resistance; Pancreatic hormone; Association; Hepatocyte growth factor; Clinical biology; Metabolic diseases; Insulin resistance; Insulin; Endocrinology; Public health
• ISSN: 0300-0664; 1365-2265; 1365-2265
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2265.2012.04496.x

Summary Objective Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) receptors form a hybrid complex with insulin receptors in the liver of mice, which lead to robust signalling to regulate glucose metabolism. Serum HGF levels are high in subjects with metabolic syndrome and/or obesity. Accordingly, we prospectively investigated the relationship between HGF and the development of insulin resistance (IR) in a general population without IR at baseline. Methods A total of 1492 subjects received health examinations. After excluding subjects with diabetes and/or IR (n = 402) at baseline, the remaining subjects (n = 1090) were followed‐up 10 years later. Complete data sets were available from 716 subjects for prospective analysis. Logistic regression was performed to determine factors associated with the development of IR after 10 years. Results In subjects without diabetes at baseline, serum HGF levels were higher (0·26 ± 0·10 ng/ml, n = 259) in subjects with IR than without it (0·22 ± 0·09 ng/ml, n = 1090). After deleting subjects who developed liver disease during follow‐up, 188 were found to have developed IR at 10 years after the original screening. HGF (P < 0·05), age (P < 0·001), homoeostasis model assessment index (P < 0·001), HDL‐c (P < 0·05; inversely) and hypertensive medication (P < 0·05) were significantly associated with the development of IR by multivariate stepwise logistic regression analysis. A significant (P < 0·05) relative risk [1·75 (95%CI: 1·01–3·12)] for the development of IR was observed in the highest (≥0·30 ng/ml) vs the lowest categories (<0·15 ng/ml) of HGF after adjustments for confounders. Conclusions Our 10‐year prospective study suggests that elevated serum HGF levels were significantly associated with the development of IR.