Asprosin response in hypoglycemia is not related to hypoglycemia unawareness but rather to insulin resistance in type 1 diabetes

PLoS One. 2019 Sep 19;14(9):e0222771. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0222771. eCollection 2019.

Abstract

Asprosin is a counter-regulatory hormone to insulin which plays a role in fasting. It may therefore also play a role in hypoglycaemia unawareness, which has been subsequently examined in this pilot study. Intravenous glucose tolerance test was used to induce controlled hyperglycemia whereas a hyperinsulinemic clamp test was used to induce a controlled hypoglycaemia in 15 patients with diabetes type 1, with and without hypoglycaemia unawareness. Changes in asprosin plasma levels did not differ between patients with and without hypoglycaemia unawareness. However, nine patients with insulin resistance as well as higher liver stiffness values and low-density lipoprotein but lower high-density lipoprotein levels did not show the expected increase in asprosin plasma levels during hypoglycemia. Therefore, insulin resistance and alterations in liver structure, most likely early stages of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, seem to be relevant in type 1 diabetes and do not only lead to elevated plasma levels of asprosin, but also to a blunted asprosin response in hypoglycemia.

Publication types

  • Clinical Trial
  • Observational Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Blood Glucose / metabolism
  • Cohort Studies
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / blood*
  • Female
  • Fibrillin-1
  • Glucose Tolerance Test
  • Humans
  • Hypoglycemia / blood*
  • Insulin / blood
  • Insulin Resistance*
  • Liver / metabolism
  • Liver / pathology
  • Male
  • Microfilament Proteins / blood*
  • Middle Aged
  • Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease / blood
  • Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease / pathology
  • Peptide Fragments / blood*
  • Peptide Hormones / blood*
  • Pilot Projects

Substances

  • Blood Glucose
  • FBN1 protein, human
  • Fibrillin-1
  • Insulin
  • Microfilament Proteins
  • Peptide Fragments
  • Peptide Hormones

Grants and funding

This study was funded by the SFB 1118, SFB 1158, and the Deutsches Zentrum für Diabetesforschung (DZD) e.V. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.