RESUMO
INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to compare plasma oxytocin levels in obese women of childbearing age with non-obese women of childbearing age, and to investigate the relationship between plasma oxytocin levels and metabolic parameters (including blood glucose, insulin resistance, blood lipid, and blood pressure). MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 151 obese women of childbearing age and 160 non-obese women of childbearing age were enrolled in this study. Plasma oxytocin levels were measured by electrochemiluminescence immunoassays. Height, body weight, body mass index (BMI), fasting blood glucose (FBG), fasting insulin (FI), homeostasis model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), total triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein-C (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein-C (HDL-C), systolic blood pressure (SBP), and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) were measured in all subjects. Quantile regression analysis was used to analyse the associations of plasma oxytocin levels with FBG, FI, HOMA-IR, TG, TC, LDL-C, HDL-C, SBP, and DBP. RESULTS: In obese women of childbearing age, plasma oxytocin levels were lower compared with non-obese controls. After adjusting for age, quantile regression analysis showed that the plasma oxytocin levels were inversely associated with HOMA-IR at the quantile level between 0.27 and 0.79 (i.e. the HOMA-IR level of 2.11 and 3.07, respectively), the plasma oxytocin levels were inversely associated with TC after the quantile level of 0.21 (i.e. the TC level of 3.78 ), and the plasma oxytocin levels were inversely associated with LDL-C at all quantile levels of LDL-C. In addition, the plasma oxytocin levels showed a positive association with HDL-C at all quantile levels of HDL-C. No significant associations were found between the plasma oxytocin levels and FBG, FI, TG, SBP, and DBP. CONCLUSIONS: Oxytocin deficiency was common in obese women of childbearing age. Oxytocin showed negative correlation with HOMA-IR, TC, and LDL-C, while it showed positive association with HDL-C. Our findings suggest that oxytocin played an important role in inhibiting metabolic disorders associated with obesity in women of childbearing age.
