NUCB2/nesfatin-1 is associated with elevated scores of anxiety in female obese patients

Nesfatin-1 is derived from nucleobindin2 (NUCB2) and implicated in the regulation of food intake and body weight. Plasma levels are altered under conditions of chronically altered body weight such as obesity. Nesfatin-1 was also shown to be involved in the modulation of emotion. Since obesity is often associated with anxiety and depression we investigated plasma NUCB2/nesfatin-1 levels in obese women (n = 77) over a broad range of body mass index (BMI, 32-67 kg/m2) with different levels of anxiety assessed by the generalized anxiety disorder questionnaire (GAD-7). Stress was assessed using the perceived stress questionnaire (PSQ-20) and depression using the patient health questionnaire (PHQ-9). The study population was divided in patients with low anxiety (n = 40, GAD scores, mean ± SD, 5.0 ± 2.7) and high anxiety (n = 37, 14.2 ± 3.3, p < 0.001). Patients with high anxiety showed higher levels of NUCB2/nesfatin-1 (+33%), perceived stress (+60%) and depression (+98%) compared to the low anxiety group (p < 0.001). NUCB2/nesfatin-1 levels positively correlated with GAD-7 (r = 0.68, p < 0.001), total PSQ-20 (r = 0.57, p < 0.001) and PHQ-9 scores (r = 0.45, p < 0.001), while no significant correlation was observed with BMI (r = −0.21, p = 0.09). Also the subscales of the PSQ-20, “worries”, “tension” and “demands” were higher in the high anxiety group and correlated positively with NUCB2/nesfatin-1 (p < 0.001), whereas “joy” was lower and correlated negatively with NUCB2/nesfatin-1 (p = 0.015). Summarized, plasma NUCB2/nesfatin-1 levels were altered under conditions of perceived anxiety, stress and depression in obese women. No correlation was observed with BMI. These data point toward an involvement of NUCB2/nesfatin-1 in the regulation of emotion in addition to its impact on body weight.