Serum Phoenixin Levels and Their Diagnostic Significance in Girls With Precocious Puberty.

CONTEXT: Phoenixin (PNX), a recently identified neuropeptide, is recognized for its role in reproduction.

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to explores serum phoenixin expression and its diagnostic value in girls with central precocious puberty (CPP).

METHODS

Girls visiting the Pediatric Endocrinology Department of Lianyungang First People's Hospital (February 2023-February 2025) were included and divided into 3 groups: CPP (n = 48), premature thelarche (PT) (n = 58), and healthy controls (NCs, n = 50). Serum phoenixin levels were measured via enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and compared among groups. Spearman correlation analysis assessed variable relationships, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves evaluated phoenixin's diagnostic value for CPP.

RESULTS

Serum PNX-14 levels of the CPP group (228.42 [193.29-277.22] pg/mL) were considerably higher relative to the PT group (192.58 [151.34-239.48] pg/mL) (P < .05), and higher serum PNX-14 levels were found in the PT group compared to the NC group (124.26 [88.78-167.49] pg/mL) (P < .05). No statistically significant differences in PNX-20 levels were found among the groups (P > .05). PNX-14 levels were positively correlated with height, weight, body mass index, bone age, uterine and ovarian volumes, and pituitary height, and negatively with sex hormone-binding globulin. ROC analysis showed an area under the curve of 0.695 for PNX-14 in identifying CPP, with a cutoff of 195.85 pg/mL (sensitivity: 75.0%; specificity: 69.0%).

CONCLUSION

Serum PNX-14 is associated with CPP and reflects growth and pubertal development. It may serve as a potential biomarker for adjunct diagnosis of CPP in girls.