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Published on: July 21, 2017
Calprotectin--a novel marker of obesity
Ole Hartvig Mortensen1, Anders Rinnov Nielsen, Christian Erikstrup
1The Centre of Inflammation and Metabolism, Department of Infectious Diseases and Copenhagen Muscle Research Centre, Rigshospitalet, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark. bkp@rh.dk
Background:
The two inflammatory molecules, S100A8 and S100A9, form a heterodimer, calprotectin. Plasma calprotectin levels are elevated in various inflammatory disorders. We hypothesized that plasma calprotectin levels would be increased in subjects with low-grade systemic inflammation i.e. either obese subjects or subjects with type 2 diabetes.
Methodology/Principal Findings:
Plasma calprotectin and skeletal muscle S100A8 mRNA levels were measured in a cohort consisting of 199 subjects divided into four groups depending on presence or absence of type 2 diabetes (T2D), and presence or absence of obesity. There was a significant interaction between obesity and T2D (p = 0.012). Plasma calprotectin was increased in obese relative to non-obese controls (p<0.0001), whereas it did not differ between obese and non-obese patients with T2D (p = 0.62). S100A8 mRNA levels in skeletal muscle were not influenced by obesity or T2D. Multivariate regression analysis (adjusting for age, sex, smoking and HOMA2-IR) showed plasma calprotectin to be strongly associated with BMI, even when further adjusted for fitness, CRP, TNF-alpha or neutrophil number.
Conclusions/Significance:
Plasma calprotectin is a marker of obesity in individuals without type 2 diabetes.
