BACKGROUND:

The role of adopokines in adrenal tumors’ hormonal activity remains unclear. Obesity may induce arterial hypertension, disorders of carbohydrate metabolism, and is a risk factor of cardiovascular disease. In patients with subclinical hormone secretion by the adrenal cortex or medulla the risk of metabolic disease is increased.

OBJECTIVE:

Authors of this retrospective study selected 78 patients with subclinical hormone secretion out of all adrenal incidentaloma patients hospitalized in the Department of Endocrinology and Internal Medicine between 1995 and 2014.

METHODS:

The analyzed group comprised of 38 subclinical Cushing’s syndrome (SCS), 40 incidentally discovered pheochromocytoma (PHEO) and 42 patients operated due to an adrenal tumor without pathological hormonal activity. Expression of adiponectin (AdipoR1, AdipoR2) and leptin (Ob-R) receptors in adrenal tumors was assessed in relation to body mass index (BMI) and hormonal activity.

RESULTS:

We found statistically significant negative correlations between BMI and expression of all examined receptors in SCS patients (AdipoR1: p = 0.032; AdipoR2: p < 0.001; leptin Ob-R: p = 0.001). In PHEOs, BMI correlated negatively only with AdipoR2 ( p = 0.014).

CONCLUSIONS:

Data obtained show that the most significant factor associated with the expression of AdipoR1, AdipoR2 and leptin Ob-R receptors in the adrenal tumor tissue is BMI, not their hormonal activity.

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Expression of adiponectin and leptin receptors in adrenal incidentaloma patients with subclinical hormone secretion