Abstract
We investigated the role of urokinase plasminogen activator (uPA) and its soluble receptors (suPAR) and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) in metabolic syndrome (MetS) components, insulin secretion, and resistance in schoolchildren. We enrolled 387 children, aged 10.3 ± 1.5 years, in Taipei. Anthropometry, fibrinolytic proteins, MetS components, insulin secretion, and resistance were measured. Subjects were divided into normal, overweight, and obese groups. Finally, the relationship between fibrinolytic proteins and metabolic syndrome in boys and girls was analyzed. In boys, PAI-1 was positively associated with body mass index (BMI) percentile, hypertriglyceride, insulin secretion, and resistance. In girls, PAI-1 was positively associated with obesity, hypertriglyceridemia, and insulin secretion. In girls, uPA was positively associated with insulin secretion. suPAR was positively associated with high-sensitivity C-reactive protein in both boys and girls, and with BMI percentile and body fat in girls. The obese boys had higher suPAR and PAI-1 levels than the normal group. The obese girls had higher uPA, suPAR, and PAI-1 than the normal group. Boys and girls with MetS had higher PAI-1. Fibrinolytic proteins, especially PAI-1, are associated with MetS components and insulin secretion in children. Fibrinolytic proteins changes were more likely to occur in girls than in boys.