ABSTRACT
Although the effect of mouse resistin on insulin-resistance has been well defined, but the biological function of human resistin is still unknown. This study was aimed to explore the possible physiological and pathological effects of human resistin, as well as the tissue distribution of human resistin and correlation of resistin gene expression with leukemia incidence. 152 leukemia patients without inflammatory complication and 100 healthy persons were selected as experimental and control groups respectively. The blood samples were collected, the total RNA was extracted, the expression distribution of resistin in different tissues was detected by semi-quantitative RT-PCR and then the statistical analysis was carried out. The results indicated that the expression of the human resistin gene was detected in normal fetus liver, adult bone marrow and umbilical cord blood and peripheral blood cells, while the resistin gene could not be amplified in fat, umbilical cord, placenta and adult liver. The resistin expression was detected in 21% leukemia patients and 27% healthy persons. The difference of the resistin gene expression between the two groups was not statistically significant (p>0.05). It is concluded that the higher expression of resistin exists in normal human fetus liver, adult bone marrow, umbilical cord blood and peripheral blood cells, which indicates that the distribution of human resistin correlates with normal hematopoiesis in certain extent, but its expression level and rate may not correlate with the incidence of leukemia.