Monocyte cell adhesion molecule receptors in nascent metabolic syndrome

Metabolic syndrome (MetS), a common disorder, predisposes to both cardiovascular disease and diabetes. There is a paucity of data on monocyte cell adhesion molecule receptors in MetS. This study determined monocyte Mac-1 (CD11b) and VLA4 (CD49d) in patients with MetS and controls. Research design and methods In isolated monocytes (n=58 MetS and n=40 healthy controls), both CD11b and CD49d expression were assayed by flow cytometry and correlated with features of MetS, and biomarkers of inflammation.

Monocyte CD11b was significantly increased in patients with MetS compared to controls, median [25(th)-75(th) percentile] 34.2 MFI/10,000 cells [26.3-56.2] versus 25.3 [20.9-32.4], even following adjustment for adiposity. Furthermore, CD11b increased with increasing features of MetS (p for trend 0.005.) CD11b significantly correlated with glucose, triglycerides, Toll-like receptor 4 and p38 MAP kinase activity.

This is the first report showing increased monocyte CD11b expression in MetS possibly mediated by TLR4 and could contribute to the increased risk of atherosclerosis by promoting monocyte adhesion to endothelium.