The Gastric Connection: Serum Gastric Biomarkers, Metabolic Syndrome and Transition in Metabolic Status

Yuexiang Qin; Shanhu Yao; Gaoyuan Wang; Ziyuan Xu; Gangcai Zhu; Ying Li; Pingting Yang; Jiangang Wang; Chunbo Zou; Changhan Chen

doi:10.2147/JIR.S475352

The Gastric Connection: Serum Gastric Biomarkers, Metabolic Syndrome and Transition in Metabolic Status

J Inflamm Res. 2024 Sep 16:17:6439-6452. doi: 10.2147/JIR.S475352. eCollection 2024.

Authors

Yuexiang Qin^{1

2}, Shanhu Yao^{3

4}, Gaoyuan Wang⁵, Ziyuan Xu^{6

7}, Gangcai Zhu⁸, Ying Li^{1

2}, Pingting Yang^{1

2}, Jiangang Wang^{1

2}, Chunbo Zou⁵, Changhan Chen^{7

9}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Health Management Medicine, The Third Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, Hunan Province, 410013, People's Republic of China.
² Hunan Chronic Disease Health Management Medical Research Center, The Third Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan Province, 410013, People's Republic of China.
³ Department of Radiology, The Third Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan Province, 410013, People's Republic of China.
⁴ Key Laboratory of Medical Information Research, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan Province, 410013, People's Republic of China.
⁵ Department of Nephrology, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, Jiangsu, People's Republic of China.
⁶ Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan Province, 410008, People's Republic of China.
⁷ National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, People's Republic of China.
⁸ Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan Province, 410008, People's Republic of China.
⁹ National Medical Metabolomics International Collaborative Research Center, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan Province, 410008, People's Republic of China.

Abstract

Objective: Inflammation plays a crucial role in the development of metabolic syndrome (MetS). However, the roles of pepsinogens (PGs) and gastrin, known biomarkers linked to gastric inflammation, in MetS and the transition of MetS status are unclear. This research aimed to explore the relationship between MetS, the transition of MetS status, and levels of gastric biomarkers.

Methods: This large-scale cross-sectional study included 19162 participants aged 18-80 years between August 2021 and March 2024. Serum levels of the gastric biomarkers PGI, PGII, and gastrin-17 were analyzed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. In addition, the relationship between transitions of MetS status based on 1032 MetS-negative participants from baseline to the second health exam after 2 years was considered. The association between MetS and the transitions of MetS status and gastric biomarkers was analyzed using logistic regression models.

Results: The prevalence of MetS in the study population was 31.4%, with higher rates in males (35.2%) than females (24.6%). Gastrin-17 levels were markedly elevated in participants with MetS, a trend observed in both genders. In the logistic regression analysis, after adjusting for confounding factors, gastrin-17 levels were strongly and positively correlated with MetS in the entire cohort and in males but not in females. Male participants with MetS had lower levels of PGI and PGII than those without MetS, whereas the opposite trend was observed in females. Logistic regression analysis indicated that PGI and PGII were not independently associated with MetS. During the follow-up of 2 years, 199 (19.28%) of the 1032 MetS-negative participants transitioned to MetS-positive status. As compared to the stable MetS-negative subjects, transition from MetS-negative to MetS-positive was associated with higher levels of gastrin-17, especially in males, but not in females.

Conclusion: Gastrin-17 is a promising biomarker for MetS, exhibiting potential utility in monitoring the transition of MetS status and revealing gender difference.

Keywords: gastric biomarkers; gastrin-17; gender difference; metabolic syndrome; transition.

Grants and funding

This work was supported by funding from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (General Program) (No. 82303133); China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (No. 2022M723559); Natural Science Foundation of Hunan Province (No. 2020JJ5867); Natural Science Foundation of Hunan Province (No. 2021JJ40951); Natural Science Foundation of Hunan Province (No. 2022JJ30963); Project of Hunan Health Commission (No. B202307017799); and Project of Hunan Health Commission (No. B202309018525); National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 82400873); Postdoctoral Fellowship Program (Grade B) of China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (No. GZB20240866).