The anti-inflammatory growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF-15) is a candidate protein for the treatment of obesity because it reduces food intake as well as the metabolic alterations that characterize this disease. Despite the well-known anti-inflammatory properties of GDF-15, its mechanisms regulating the immune responses are not fully cleared.
The Paediatric obesity and cardiovascular risk research group examined in serum whether GDF-15 was related to immunoglobulins (Ig, a component of the adaptive immune system) in a children's cohort assessed longitudinally during childhood and observed that circulating GDF-15 positively associates with IgA and IgG.
These longitudinal associations were readily observed in children with higher weight or visceral fat, suggesting a role of GDF-15 in human obesity through the regulation of the adaptive immune system.
