Olink

Olink®
Part of Thermo Fisher Scientific

Screening for Inflammatory Markers Identifies IL-18Rα as a Potential Link between Exenatide and Its Anti-Inflammatory Effect: New Results from the Combat-JUDO Randomized Controlled Trial

Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism, 2023

Stenlid R., Cerenius S., Manell H., Küçükemre Aydin B., Mörwald K., Gomahr J., Höghammar Mitkas M., Eriksson I., Ciba I., Geiersberger S., Thivel D., Weghuber D., Bergsten P., Forslund A.

Disease areaApplication areaSample typeProducts
Metabolic Diseases
Pathophysiology
Plasma
Olink Target 96

Olink Target 96

Abstract

Introduction: Obesity is associated with chronic inflammation. Chronic inflammation has also been linked to insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes, metabolic associated fatty liver disease, and cardiovascular disease. Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor analogs (GLP-1RA) are clinically used to treat obesity, with known anti-inflammatory properties. How the GLP-1RA exenatide effects inflammation in adolescents with obesity is not fully investigated. Methods: Forty-four patients were randomized to receive weekly subcutaneous injections with either 2 mg exenatide or placebo for 6 months. Plasma samples were collected at baseline and at the end of the study, and 92 inflammatory proteins were measured. Results: Following treatment with exenatide, 15 out of the 92 proteins were decreased, and one was increased. However, after adjustment for multiple testing, only IL-18Rα was significantly lowered following treatment. Conclusions: Weekly injections with 2 mg of exenatide lowers circulating IL-18Rα in adolescents with obesity, which may be a potential link between exenatide and its anti-inflammatory effect in vivo. This contributes to exenatide’s pharmaceutical potential as a treatment for obesity beyond weight control and glucose tolerance, and should be further studied mechanistically.

Read publication ↗