Circulating N-Acetylaspartate Levels Associate with Measures of Peripheral and Tissue-Specific Insulin Sensitivity.

ABSTRACT: N-acetylaspartate (NAA) is the second most abundant metabolite in the human brain. Quantifiable amounts of NAA are also present in the blood, but its role in the peripheral tissues is largely unknown. First, we determined the acute effects of insulin administration on NAA concentrations; second, we assessed whether circulating NAA levels associate with markers of central and peripheral insulin sensitivity. A total of 24 persons living with obesity and 19 healthy, lean controls, without neurological disorders, underwent a euglycemic hyperinsulinemic clamp combined with fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography ([¹⁸F]FDG-PET) imaging of the brain, abdomen, and femoral area. Plasma concentrations of NAA were measured at baseline and ~2 h into the clamp using high-performance

SUBMITTER: Rebelos E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12154542 | biostudies-literature | 2025 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature