Authors | Reilly MP, Lehrke M, Wolfe ML, Rohatgi A, Lazar MA, Rader DJ | |
Title | Resistin is an inflammatory marker of atherosclerosis in humans | |
Full source | Circulation. 2005 Feb 22;111(7):932-9. Epub 2005 Feb 14 | |
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Abstract | BACKGROUND:
Resistin, a plasma protein, induces insulin resistance in rodents. Recent
reports suggest that circulating levels of resistin are elevated in obese
and insulin-resistant rodents and humans. Whereas rodent resistin is made
in adipocytes, macrophages are a major source of human resistin. Given the
convergence of adipocyte and macrophage function, resistin may provide unique
insight into links between obesity, inflammation, and atherosclerosis in
humans. METHODS AND RESULTS: We examined whether plasma resistin levels were associated with metabolic and inflammatory markers, as well as with coronary artery calcification (CAC), a quantitative index of atherosclerosis, in 879 asymptomatic subjects in the Study of Inherited Risk of Coronary Atherosclerosis. Resistin levels were positively associated with levels of inflammatory markers, including soluble tumor necrosis factor-alpha receptor-2 (P<0.001), interleukin-6 (P=0.04), and lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (P=0.002), but not measures of insulin resistance in multivariable analysis. Resistin levels also were associated (odds ratio and 95% confidence interval in ordinal regression) with increasing CAC after adjustment for age, sex, and established risk factors (OR, 1.23 [CI, 1.03 to 1.52], P=0.03) and further control for metabolic syndrome and plasma C-reactive protein (CRP) levels (OR, 1.25 [CI, 1.04 to 1.50], P=0.01). In subjects with metabolic syndrome, resistin levels further predicted CAC, whereas CRP levels did not. CONCLUSIONS: Plasma resistin levels are correlated with markers of inflammation and are predictive of coronary atherosclerosis in humans, independent of CRP. Resistin may represent a novel link between metabolic signals, inflammation, and atherosclerosis. Further studies are needed to define the relationship of resistin to clinical cardiovascular disease. |