Circulating Adipokines and Vascular Function: Cross-Sectional Associations in a Community-Based Cohort
Justin P Zachariah1, Susan Hwang2, Naomi M Hamburg2
1From the Department of Cardiology, Boston Children's Hospital and Department of Pediatrics Harvard Medical School, MA (J.P.Z.); Department of Biostatistics (S.H., L.M.S.) and Department of Epidemiology (E.J.B., R.S.V.), Boston University School of Public Health, MA; Section of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine, MA (N.M.H., E.J.B., J.A.V., R.S.V.); Boston University's and National Heart, Blood and Lung Institute's Framingham Heart Study, Framingham, MA (E.J.B., M.G.L., D.L., J.A.V., R.S.V.); Department of Mathematics, Boston University, MA (M.G.L.); and Cardiovascular Engineering, Inc, Norwood, MA (G.F.M.). justinzachariah@yahoo.com.
Certain adipokines (hormones from fat tissue) are linked to vascular stiffness in younger adults. This suggests adipokines may play a role in how obesity affects blood vessel health and hypertension.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Science
- Endocrinology
- Obesity Research
Background:
- Adipokines, signaling molecules from adipose tissue, are implicated in linking excess body fat to vascular dysfunction.
- Understanding the role of specific adipokines in vascular stiffness is crucial for identifying potential therapeutic targets.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the cross-sectional associations between circulating adipokine concentrations and measures of vascular stiffness in a community-based cohort of young adults.
- To determine if adipokines like leptin, adiponectin, retinol-binding protein 4, and fatty acid-binding protein 4 are associated with mean arterial pressure and aortic stiffness.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from 3505 participants in the Framingham Third Generation cohort, free of cardiovascular disease.
- Measured circulating levels of leptin, leptin receptor, adiponectin, retinol-binding protein 4, and fatty acid-binding protein 4.
- Assessed vascular stiffness using arterial tonometry, including carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity, and employed regression models adjusted for numerous covariates.
Main Results:
- Mean arterial pressure showed positive associations with retinol-binding protein 4, fatty acid-binding protein 4, and leptin, and an inverse association with adiponectin.
- Fully adjusted models revealed positive associations between mean arterial pressure and retinol-binding protein 4 and leptin receptor.
- Aortic stiffness was positively associated with fatty acid-binding protein 4 and inversely with leptin and leptin receptor concentrations.
Conclusions:
- Circulating concentrations of specific adipokines are associated with vascular stiffness measures in a large cohort of younger adults.
- These findings support the hypothesis that adipokines may influence vascular function.
- Adipokines may contribute to the relationship between obesity, hypertension, and impaired vascular health.
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