BACKGROUND: Adipose tissue is an important endocrine organ that secretes a 
number of adipokines, like Resistin (RETN); it's an adipocytes-secreted cytokine 
and has been proposed as a link between obesity and diabetes. Many resistin gene 
polymorphisms were described and their implication in obesity was controversial. 
This study was to investigate the prevalence of single nucleotide polymorphisms 
(SNPs) in RETN gene 420C/G; 44G/A; 62G/A; 394C/G and 299 G/A and their 
association with Resistin level and obesity in Tunisian volunteers.
METHODS: We recruited 169 nonobese (mean age=42.16-14.26 years; mean body mass 
index [BMI]=24.51-3.69 kg/m2 ) and 160 obese (mean age=47.86-11.17 years; mean 
BMI=36-4.78 kg/m2 ). Genotyping was performed using polymerase chain 
reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism. Anthropometric parameters, 
lipid levels, Glycemia and insulinemia were measured, BMI was calculated and 
insulinresistance was evaluated with the homeostasis model assessment insulin 
resistance (HOMA-IR) and resistin level was measured by ELISA. Statistical 
analyses were performed by SPSS19.0.
RESULTS: After adjustment for confounding parameters; the Odds Ratio (OR) of 
obesity associated with mutated genotypes at 420C/G compared with normal 
genotype was as: OR=2.17; 95% CI [1.28-3.68], P=.004. The serum Resistin levels 
present no significant association with all RETN polymorphisms and it was 
significantly associated with BMI (P=.047). In our haplotype analysis, one 
haplotype seems to be protective and one other seems to be the highest risk to 
obesity.
CONCLUSION: The 420 C/G Polymorphism were associated with obesity and Leptin 
concentration in our population.