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Serum adiponectin and leptin levels as biochemical indicators in obese individuals with metabolic syndrome

Yasir Khalid Khaleel 1 and Qasim Rabea Abdullah 2, *

1 Department of Medical Physics, College of Science, Al-Kitab University, Kirkuk, Iraq.
2 Department of Chemistry, College of Education for Pure sciences, University of Kirkuk, Kirkuk, Iraq.
 
Research Article
International Journal of Frontiers in Chemistry and Pharmacy Research, 2025, 06(02), 011–024.
Article DOI: 10.53294/ijfcpr.2025.6.2.0024
Publication history: 
Received on 30 July 2025; revised on 07 September 2025; accepted on 10 September 2025
 
Abstract: 
Background: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) shows particularly high prevalence in northern Iraq, with Kirkuk province demonstrating rates of 38.7% among adults. Adipokines, particularly adiponectin and leptin, may serve as valuable biochemical indicators for MetS diagnosis and management.
Objective: To investigate serum adiponectin and leptin levels in obese individuals with metabolic syndrome from northern Iraqi population and evaluate their potential as biochemical markers for disease assessment.
Methodology: This cross-sectional multi-center study included 180 participants from Kirkuk and Erbil provinces divided into three groups: obese individuals with MetS (n=60), obese individuals without MetS (n=60), and healthy controls (n=60). Serum adiponectin and leptin levels were measured using ELISA at participating medical centers.
Results: Obese individuals with MetS showed significantly lower adiponectin levels (3.4 ± 1.4 μg/mL) compared to obese without MetS (5.9 ± 1.9 μg/mL, p<0.001) and healthy controls (9.8 ± 2.7 μg/mL, p<0.001). Leptin levels were significantly elevated in MetS group (52.1 ± 15.3 ng/mL) versus obese without MetS (33.4 ± 9.8 ng/mL, p<0.001) and controls (9.7 ± 3.6 ng/mL, p<0.001). The adiponectin/leptin ratio showed exceptional diagnostic performance (AUC=0.99) with optimal cut-off ≤0.12.
Conclusions: Serum adiponectin and leptin levels serve as reliable biochemical indicators in obese individuals with metabolic syndrome from northern Iraqi population. The adiponectin/leptin ratio represents a superior integrated biomarker for MetS assessment in this region.
 
Keywords: 
Adiponectin; Leptin; Metabolic Syndrome; Obesity; Biomarkers; Northern Iraq
 
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Copyright information: 
Copyright © 2025 Author(s) retain the copyright of this article. This article is published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Liscense 4.0