Decreased gastric body mucosa obestatin expression in overweight and obese patients

Obestatin is a recently discovered gastrointestinal hormone. It might play a role in the pathophysiology of obesity. We tried to investigate the expression of obestatin in gastric body mucosa in overweight (BMI ≥ 24 kg/m2)/obese (BMI ≥ 28 kg/m2) patients. Thirty overweight/obese patients and 20 healthy controls were included in the study. Biopsy specimens of gastric mucosa were obtained from the middle body of the greater curvature. Obestatin expression in gastric mucosa was evaluated by immunohistochemistry. Fasting plasma obestatin levels were measured by radioimmunoassay. The number of obestatin-positive cells in gastric body mucosa was significantly lower in overweight and obese patients than that in healthy subjects. The plasma concentrations of obestatin were also decreased in overweight and obese patients. There was a positive correlation between the numbers of obestatin-positive cells in the gastric body mucosa and circulating obestatin levels. The results indicate that overweight and obese subjects have a reduction in the number of obestatin-positive cells in gastric body mucosa.