Assessment of Melanocortin-4 Receptor Levels in Obese Individuals

Abstract

Obesity is a multifactorial metabolic disorder influenced by genetic and environmental factors and represents a major global health problem. The melanocortin-4 receptor (MC4R) gene is important for regulating appetite and energy balance. This study aimed to evaluate serum MC4R levels in an Iraqi population. A case–control study was conducted including 45 obese individuals (BMI = 38.44 ± 5.42 kg/m²) and 35 healthy controls (BMI = 22.3 ± 1.8 kg/m²), aged 18–69 years. Serum MC4R levels were significantly elevated in obese individuals (1170.36 ± 108.22 ng/mL) compared with controls (759.35 ± 41.92 ng/mL) (P = 0.002). No significant gender differences were observed within controls (P = 0.089) or obese subjects (P = 0.609), although obese females showed slightly higher levels than males. Group comparison confirmed significantly higher MC4R levels in both obese males (P = 0.011) and females (P = 0.042) compared to controls. In conclusion, Obesity is associated with high serum levels of MC4R suggesting the potential role of MC4R in obesity pathophysiology  and this association appears to be independent of gender.