Objectives: To investigate the expression levels of ghrelin and liver-expressed antimicrobial peptide-2 (LEAP-2) in children with idiopathic short stature (ISS) to provide reference for further understanding the etiology of short stature.
Methods: A prospective study was conducted from December 2021 to October 2023, involving 46 children diagnosed with ISS (ISS group) and 46 healthy children with normal height (control group) at the First Affiliated Hospital of Shihezi University. General data and serum levels of ghrelin and LEAP-2 were compared between the two groups. The predictive value of these two indicators for ISS was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis.
Results: The serum level of ghrelin in the ISS group was higher than that in the control group, while the level of LEAP-2 was lower (P<0.05). The ratio of LEAP-2 to ghrelin was lower in the ISS group compared to the control group (P<0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that HtSDS, IGF-1, ghrelin, LEAP-2, and the ratio of LEAP-2/ghrelin were independently associated with the occurrence of ISS (P<0.05). ROC curve analysis indicated that the AUCs for ghrelin, LEAP-2, the ratio of ghrelin to LEAP-2, and their combination in predicting ISS were all >0.8. The optimal cutoff values for ghrelin, LEAP-2, and the LEAP-2/ghrelin ratio were 5 607 pg/mL, 1 155 pg/mL, and 0.212, respectively. In children with ISS, ghrelin showed a negative correlation with chronological age, LEAP-2, and the LEAP-2/ghrelin ratio (P<0.05), while it was positively correlated with growth rate and peak growth hormone levels (P<0.05). LEAP-2 was negatively correlated with growth rate, peak growth hormone levels, and ghrelin (P<0.05), but positively correlated with chronological age and the LEAP-2/ghrelin ratio (P<0.05).
Conclusions: Ghrelin and LEAP-2 are correlated with the occurrence of ISS, which may provide references for the diagnosis and etiological analysis of children with ISS.
目的: 探讨生长激素释放肽（ghrelin）和肝脏表达抗菌肽-2（liver-expressed antimicrobial peptide-2, LEAP-2）在特发性矮身材（idiopathic short stature, ISS）患儿体内的表达水平，为进一步认识矮小症的病因提供参考依据。方法: 前瞻性选取2021年12月—2023年10月于石河子大学第一附属医院就诊的46例ISS患儿（ISS组）和身高正常的46例健康儿童作为研究对象（对照组），比较两组儿童一般资料及血清ghrelin、LEAP-2表达水平，并运用受试者操作特征曲线（receiver operating characteristic curve, ROC曲线）评价两指标在ISS患儿中的预测价值。结果: ISS组血清ghrelin水平高于对照组，LEAP-2低于对照组，LEAP-2/ghrelin比值低于对照组，差异均有统计学意义（P<0.05）。多因素logistic回归分析显示，HtSDS、胰岛素样生长因子-1、ghrelin、LEAP-2、LEAP-2/ghrelin比值与ISS的发生独立相关（P<0.05）。ROC曲线分析显示，ghrelin、LEAP-2、ghrelin/LEAP-2比值及三者联合预测ISS的AUC均>0.8；ghrelin、LEAP-2、LEAP-2/ghrelin比值的最佳截断值分别为5 607 pg/mL、1 155 pg/mL、0.212。ISS患儿ghrelin与实际年龄、LEAP-2、LEAP-2/ghrelin比值呈负相关（P<0.05），与生长速率、生长激素峰值呈正相关（P<0.05）；LEAP-2与生长速率、生长激素峰值、ghrelin呈负相关（P<0.05），与实际年龄、LEAP-2/ghrelin比值呈正相关（P<0.05）。结论: ghrelin、LEAP-2与ISS发生相关，可为ISS患儿的诊断和病因分析提供参考依据。.
Keywords: Child; Ghrelin; Growth hormone secretagogue receptor; Idiopathic short stature; Liver-expressed antimicrobial peptide-2.