Chemerin is associated with metabolic syndrome phenotypes in a Mexican-American population

Chemerin is a novel adipokine previously associated with metabolic syndrome phenotypes in a small sample of subjects from Mauritius.

The aim of the study was to determine whether plasma chemerin levels were associated with metabolic syndrome phenotypes in a larger sample from a second, unrelated human population.

Plasma samples were obtained from the San Antonio Family Heart Study (SAFHS), a large family-based genetic epidemiological study including 1431 Mexican-American individuals. Individuals were randomly sampled without regard to phenotype or disease status. This sample is well-characterized for a variety of phenotypes related to the metabolic syndrome.

Plasma chemerin levels were measured by sandwich ELISA. Linear regression and correlation analyses were used to determine associations between plasma chemerin levels and metabolic syndrome phenotypes.

Circulating chemerin levels were significantly higher in nondiabetic subjects with body mass index (BMI) greater than 30 kg/m(2) compared with those with a BMI below 25 kg/m(2) (P < 0.0001). Plasma chemerin levels were significantly associated with metabolic syndrome-related parameters, including BMI (P < 0.0001), fasting serum insulin (P < 0.0001), triglycerides (P < 0.0001), and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (P = 0.00014), independent of age and sex in nondiabetic subjects.

Circulating chemerin levels were associated with metabolic syndrome phenotypes in a second, unrelated human population. This replicated result using a large human sample suggests that chemerin may be involved in the development of the metabolic syndrome.