Observational Study
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2024. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Clin Pediatr. Sep 9, 2024; 13(3): 94721
Published online Sep 9, 2024. doi: 10.5409/wjcp.v13.i3.94721
Selenoprotein-p and insulin resistance in children and adolescents with obesity
Amany Elbarky, Kholoud Gamal Ismail, Yousef Fouad Yousef, Rasha Mohamed Gamal Elshafiey, Radwa Mahmoud Elsharaby, Asmaa El-Kaffas, Mohammed Al-Beltagi
Amany Elbarky, Yousef Fouad Yousef, Rasha Mohamed Gamal Elshafiey, Gastroenterology and Clinical Nutrition Unit, Pediatric Department, Faculty of ‎Medicine, Tanta University, Tanta 31511, Alghrabia, Egypt
Kholoud Gamal Ismail, Asmaa El-Kaffas, Mohammed Al-Beltagi, Department of Pediatric, Faculty of Medicine, Tanta University, Tanta 31511‎, Alghrabia, Egypt
Radwa Mahmoud Elsharaby, Department of Clinical Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Tanta University, Tanta 31511‎, Alghrabia, Egypt
Mohammed Al-Beltagi, Department of Paediatric, University Medical Center, King Abdulla Medical City, Arabian Gulf University, Manama 26671‎, Manama, Bahrain
Author contributions: Elbarky A, Ismail KG, Yousef YF, El Shafiey RMG, Elsharaby RM, Elkafas A, and Al-Beltagi M were all actively involved in collecting data for this study; They also collaborated in writing and revising the manuscript; Each author contributed to the critical revision of the content, ensuring accuracy and coherence throughout the manuscript; All authors reviewed and approved the final version, demonstrating their collective agreement and commitment to the research findings presented in this study.
Institutional review board statement: This study was conducted in accordance with the guidelines of the Declaration of Helsinki and approved by the Ethical and Research Committee of the Faculty of Medicine, Tanta University, Egypt.
Informed consent statement: Written informed consent was obtained from parents or caregivers before enrolling their children in the study.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All authors declare no conflict of interest.
Data sharing statement: The datasets generated and analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
STROBE statement: The study was done according to and aligned with the STROBE guidelines, and detailed observational study reporting was ensured. The STROBE checklist is attached.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Mohammed Al-Beltagi, MBChB, MD, PhD, Academic Editor, Chairman, Full Professor, Research Scientist, Department of Pediatric, Faculty of Medicine, Tanta University, Al-Bahr Street, The Medical Complex, Tanta 31511‎, Alghrabia, Egypt. mbelrem@hotmail.com
Received: March 23, 2024
Revised: June 28, 2024
Accepted: July 10, 2024
Published online: September 9, 2024
Processing time: 159 Days and 7.6 Hours
Abstract
BACKGROUND

Insulin resistance and obesity present significant challenges in pediatric populations. Selenoprotein P1 (SEPP1) serves as a biomarker for assessing selenium levels in the body. While its association with metabolic syndrome is established in adults, its relevance in children remains underexplored.

AIM

To ascertain SEPP1 blood levels in children and adolescents diagnosed with obesity and to assess its correlation with insulin resistance and adiposity indices.

METHODS

170 children participated in this study, including 85 diagnosed with obesity and an equal number of healthy counterparts matched for age and sex. Each participant underwent a comprehensive medical evaluation, encompassing a detailed medical history, clinical examination, and anthropometric measurements like waist circumference and waist-to-height ratio. Furthermore, routine blood tests were conducted, including serum SEPP1, visceral adiposity index (VAI), and Homeostatic Model Assessment of Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR) level.

RESULTS

Our findings revealed significantly lower serum SEPP1 levels in children with obesity compared to their healthy peers. Moreover, notable negative correlations were observed between serum SEPP1 levels and body mass index, VAI, and HOMA-IR.

CONCLUSION

The study suggests that SEPP1 could serve as a valuable predictor for insulin resistance among children and adolescents diagnosed with obesity. This highlights the potential utility of SEPP1 in pediatric metabolic health assessment and warrants further investigation.

Keywords: Obesity; Childhood obesity; Selenium status; Selenoprotien P1; Insulin resistance

Core Tip: This study investigates the association between serum Selenoprotein P1 (SEPP1) levels and insulin resistance in pediatric obesity. Conducted on 170 children, the study reveals significantly lower SEPP1 levels in obese children compared to healthy peers, with notable negative correlations between SEPP1 levels and adiposity indices such as body mass index, visceral adiposity index, and Homeostatic Model Assessment of Insulin Resistance. The findings suggest SEPP1's potential as a predictor for insulin resistance in pediatric obesity, highlighting its utility in metabolic health assessment. However, further research is needed to determine the temporal relationship between SEPP1 levels and insulin resistance onset in pediatric obesity, emphasizing the importance of continued investigation in this area for clinical practice.