Changes in inflammatory markers correlated with increased testosterone after laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy in obese Chinese men with acanthosis nigricans

Bariatric surgery is an effective method for severe obesity and its related comorbidities. This study was performed to explore the alterations of sex hormones and inflammatory markers following laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) among obese Chinese men with acanthosis nigricans (AN). Sixty-five obese men who underwent LSG were enrolled, comprising simple obesity without AN (OB group, n = 20) and obesity with AN (AN group, n = 45). There were 31 healthy male controls with normal body mass index (BMI) included. Anthropometry data, inflammatory markers, sex hormones and metabolic parameters were compared preoperatively and 12 months post-operatively. At baseline, patients in the AN group were associated with more severe metabolic abnormalities than the OB and control groups. Twelve months after surgery, AN patients obtained significant improvement in skin condition and reduction in AN score. BMI, fasting insulin (FINS), and Homeostatic Model Assessment of Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and total testosterone (TT) were significantly changed in both groups, while interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8 and C-reactive protein were changed significantly only in the AN group. Moreover, FINS, HOMA-IR, TT and IL-6 levels were changed more in the AN group than those in the OB group. Multivariate regression analysis revealed that TT increase correlated significantly with reduction in FINS and HOMA-IR in both groups, but correlated with changes in IL-6 only in the AN group. In conclusion, LSG is effective in improving the skin condition of obese men with AN. The increased TT in AN patients correlated with amelioration of inflammatory state in addition to insulin resistance after LSG.