Relationship Between Cerebrospinal Fluid Visfatin (PBEF/Nampt) Levels and Adiposity in Humans
Manfred Hallschmid 1 ,
Harpal Randeva 2 ,
Bee K. Tan 2 ,
Werner Kern 3 and
Hendrik Lehnert 2 3
1 Department of Neuroendocrinology, University of Luebeck, Luebeck, Germany
2 Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Coventry, U.K
3 Department of Internal Medicine I, University of Luebeck, Luebeck, Germany
Corresponding author: Manfred Hallschmid, hallschmid{at}kfg.uni-luebeck.de
Abstract
OBJECTIVE— Observations of elevated circulating concentrations of visfatin (PBEF/Nampt) in obesity and diabetes suggest that this recently
described adipokine is involved in the regulation of body weight and metabolism. We examined in humans whether visfatin is
found in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and, if so, how CSF visfatin concentrations relate to adiposity and metabolic parameters.
RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS— We measured visfatin concentrations in the plasma and CSF of 38 subjects (18 men and 20 women; age 19–80 years) with a wide
range of body weight (BMI 16.24–38.10 kg/m 2 ). In addition, anthropometric parameters and endocrine markers were assessed. Bivariate correlation coefficients were determined
and stepwise multiple regression analyses were performed to detect associations of CSF and plasma visfatin levels with relevant
parameters.
RESULTS— Plasma visfatin levels increased with rising BMI ( P < 0.0001) and body fat mass ( P < 0.0001). In contrast, CSF visfatin levels decreased with increasing plasma visfatin concentrations ( P < 0.03), BMI ( P < 0.001), body fat mass ( P < 0.0001), and insulin resistance ( P < 0.05). Body fat was the only factor independently associated with CSF visfatin, explaining 58% of the variation of CSF
visfatin levels ( P < 0.0001). Neither plasma ( P > 0.13) nor CSF ( P > 0.61) visfatin concentrations differed between men and women.
CONCLUSIONS— Our data indicate that visfatin concentrations in human CSF decrease with rising body fat, supporting the assumption that
visfatin transport across the blood-brain barrier is impaired in obesity and that central nervous visfatin insufficiency or
resistance are linked to pathogenetic mechanisms of obesity.
Footnotes
Published ahead of print at http://diabetes.diabetesjournals.org on 18 December 2008.
Readers may use this article as long as the work is properly cited, the use is educational and not for profit, and the work
is not altered. See http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/ for details.
The costs of publication of...

Relationship Between Cerebrospinal Fluid Visfatin (PBEF/Nampt) Levels and Adiposity in Humans

10.2337/db08-1176