Upregulation of Plasma Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Protein 2 Levels After Biliopancreatic Diversion in Humans

The biliopancreatic diversion surgery with duodenal switch (BPD-DS) is a surgical procedure that not only induces significant weight loss, but also promotes remission of diabetes. However, the mechanism responsible for this insulin-potentiating effect (both on sensitivity and production) is not yet clearly understood. The insulin-like growth factor (IGF) binding protein 2 (IGFBP-2) is a 36 kDa circulating protein that has been recently suggested to modulate insulin sensitization and fat accumulation. In humans, a low-circulating concentration of IGFBP-2 has been associated with obesity and insulin resistance. We thus tested the hypothesis that BPD-DS would trigger an increase in IGFBP-2 levels. Plasma IGFBP-2 was quantified by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in 77 severely obese men and women before and up to 1 year after BPD-DS surgery. Baseline IGFBP-2 levels were 159 +/- 17 ng/ml. Plasma IGFBP-2 levels increased significantly as soon as 24 h after BPD-DS surgery and were further augmented at both 6 months and 1 year after the surgery, reaching 748 +/- 65 ng/ml. Changes in IGFBP-2 concentrations were significantly and negatively associated with blood glucose, insulin, triglycerides, and total cholesterol levels. The present findings suggest that the rise in IGFBP-2 levels is associated with the improvements in glucose and lipid metabolism in the short- and long-term after BPD-DS. The mechanisms for the augmentation in IGFBP-2 after BPD-DS and its contribution to insulin sensitization remain to be elucidated.