Changes in white adipose tissue gene expression in a randomized control trial of dieting obese men with lowered serum testosterone alone or in combination with testosterone treatment

Abstract

Purpose: The aim of this study was to determine early weight loss-associated changes in subcutaneous abdominal white adipose tissue (WAT) gene expression in obese men with lowered serum testosterone by RNA next-generation sequencing. Methods: Fourteen men, mean age (IQR) 51.6 years (43.4–54.5), BMI 38.3 kg/m2 (34.6–40.8) and total testosterone 8.4 nmol/L (7.5–9.5) provided subcutaneous WAT samples at baseline and after 2 weeks of a very low energy diet. Results: Body weight loss was similar in participants receiving testosterone (n = 6), −5.27 kg [95% CI −6.17; −4.26], and placebo (n = 8), −4.57 kg [95% CI −6.10; −3.55], p = 0.86. In placebo-treated men, of the 14,410 genes expressed in subc..