Effect of Laparoscopic Gastric Plication on the Blood Protein Profile of Obese Subjects Using Shotgun Proteomics

Introduction: Nowadays, bariatric surgery is considered to be the most effective technique in the treatment of morbid obesity. In the current study, the effect of Laparoscopic Gastric Plication (LGP), a new technique, on the serum protein profile of obese patients has been investigated following surgery. Materials and Methods: Serum of 16 obese subjects with mean body mass index (BMI) of 41.2±5.3 kg/m2, who underwent LGP was investigated before surgery and at two timepoints post-surgery (T1-1 to 2 months after surgery and T2-4 to 5 months after surgery). Peptide mixtures prepared using Polyvinylidene Fluoride (PVDF) membrane and trypsin enzyme were analyzed by Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Results: In the present study 157 proteins were quantified, and twenty-four proteins showed statistically significant different levels at T1 post-surgery, using paired two -sample t-test (adjusted p-value<0.05); of these, levels of 12 increased, while those of 12 decreased. At T2 post-surgery, 16 proteins were differentially regulated (adjusted p-value<0.05), 10 upregulated proteins and 6 downregulated proteins. Conclusion: Due to the significant effect of bariatric surgery on the protein profile of patients, it is possible to study the impact of effective factors on the identified biomarkers and find a new strategy for obesity treatment in the future.