Serum Metrnl levels are decreased in subjects with overweight or obesity and are independently associated with adverse lipid profile
Open accessAbstract
Background: Meteorin-like (Metrnl), a novel adipokine, is highly expressed in adipose tissue and has a beneficial effect on energy metabolism. However, data on circulating Metrnl levels in obesity are scarce and inconsistent. This study aimed to evaluate the serum levels of Metrnl in adults with obesity and its association with glucose and lipid metabolism. Methods: 182 subjects were included in the cross-sectional study. The participants were divided into three groups according to BMI: normal (n = 95), overweight (n = 46), and obesity (n = 41). Serum Metrnl concentrations were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results: Serum Metrnl levels in overweight or obese subjects were significantly lower than in the normal group. Circulating Metrnl levels were negatively correlated with TG, TC, LDL-C, and sdLDL and positively correlated with HDL-C before and after adjusting for age, sex, BMI, diabetes, HOMA-IR, and eGFR (all P < 0.05). Furthermore, logistic regression analysis indicated that compared with the highest tertile, the lowest tertile of Metrnl levels were significantly associated with the presence of hyper-TG, hyper-TC, and Hyper-LDL after full adjustment (all P for trend < 0.05). Conclusions: Serum Metrnl levels were reduced in individuals with overweight or obesity and were independently associated with adverse lipid profile, suggesting that modifying circulating Metrnl levels may serve as a potential therapeutic target for atherogenic dyslipidemia.
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In obese populations, Metrnl demonstrates inverse correlations with HDL-C and positive associations with LDL-C, triglycerides, and total cholesterol.
“In obese populations, Metrnl demonstrates inverse correlations with HDL-C and positive associations with LDL-C, triglycerides, and total cholesterol [71], highlighting its potential role in lipid homeostasis that appears sensitive to physiological context.”
From Exercise-Induced Myokines in Obesity-Related Metabolic Disorders and Cardiovascular Protection: A Narrative Review (2026) · cites this paper as [71]
The Results section (“Correlation of serum Metrnl levels with clinical parameters”) reports the opposite directions: Metrnl was positively associated with HDL-C and negatively correlated with LDL-C, triglycerides, and total cholesterol. These correlations were measured across all study subjects, not specifically within the obese subgroup. (LLM, conf=0.90)
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Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredIndividuals with type 2 diabetes or obesity may present with either elevated or reduced concentrations of Metrnl.
“Research indicates that individuals with type 2 diabetes or obesity may present with either elevated [69,70] or reduced concentrations of this myokine [71].”
From Exercise-Induced Myokines in Obesity-Related Metabolic Disorders and Cardiovascular Protection: A Narrative Review (2026) · cites this paper as [71]
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Myokines: Metabolic regulation in obesity and type 2 diabetes
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“Research indicates that individuals with type 2 diabetes or obesity may present with either elevated [69,70] or reduced concentrations of this myokine [71].”
- Authors
- Ding, X., Chang, X., Wang, J., Bian, N., An, Y., Wang, G., & Liu, J.
- Affiliations
- Capital Medical University (CN)
- Corresponding author
- Wang, Guang
- Liu, Jia
- Venue
- Frontiers in Endocrinology
- Publisher
- Frontiers Media SA
- Published
- 2022-09-05
- Volume
- 13
- Pages
- 938341-938341
- ISSN
- 1664-2392 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC9483104
- OpenAlex
- W4294628566
- Cited by
- 43
- References
- 36
- Citations by year
- 2026: 11 · 2025: 17 · 2024: 9 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 1
- FWCI
- 5.78
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Frontiers in Endocrinology (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
- Funders
- Beijing Municipal Natural Science Foundation
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Adipokines, Inflammation, and Metabolic Diseases
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine › Cardiovascular Disease and Adiposity
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Adipose Tissue and Metabolism
- Keywords
- meteorin-like, Metrnl, obesity, overweight, adipokines, serum biomarkers, lipid profile, dyslipidemia, triglycerides, LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, hypertriglyceridemia, hypercholesterolemia, insulin resistance, atherogenic dyslipidemia
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Cross-Sectional Studies, Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2, Glucose, Humans, Cholesterol, LDL, Obesity, Overweight, Adipokines
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