Behavior of visfatin in nonobese women undergoing liposuction: a pilot study.

Introduction: The adipocyte has recently begun to be considered not just as a fat deposition tissue, but also as a true endocrine organ. Adipose tissue produces a wide variety of adipocytokines, of which visfatin is one. Objective: Since visfatin has recently been described as a mimic of insulin action, the authors evaluate visfatin behavior in women undergoing liposuction. Materials: Nineteen nonobese women underwent liposuction of abdominal fat. Patient visfatin levels and a lipid profile were obtained preoperatively, and the results were compared with the results of the same tests immediately postoperatively and one month postoperatively. Results: The mean age of the 19 study participants was 33 years; mean body mass index was 24.7 ± 2.2 kg/m2. The amount of subcutaneous fat obtained was an average of 4468 ± 1403 kg. Visfatin increased from 51.8 ± 24.4 ng/mL preoperatively to 76.3 ± 39.8 ng/mL ( P = .02). Pre- and postoperative lipid profiles reflected, respectively, the following: total cholesterol, 159.1 ± 37.1 vs 164.6 ± 31.7 mg/dL ( P = .420); high-density cholesterol, 41.4 ± 8.6 vs 39.3 ± 9.9 mg/dL ( P = .421); low-density cholesterol, 97.1 ± 25.4 vs 100 ± 19.2 mg/dL ( P = .507); and triglycerides, 92.3 ± 57.1 vs 126.3 ± 72.5 mg/dL ( P = .058). Conclusions: Visfatin levels were shown to increase after liposuction of subcutaneous fat. The authors conclude that this adipocyte may play an important role as a regulatory reciprocal mechanism.