Lp-PLA₂, a new biomarker of vascular disorders in metabolic diseases

Metabolic diseases are chronic disorders correlated to a greater risk of cardiovascular event and death. Recently, many data have sustained the biological link between microvascular dysfunction, oxidative stress, vascular inflammation, and metabolic diseases. The determination of new and specific blood biomarkers of vascular inflammation associated with obesity-related metabolic syndrome (MetS) and diabetes such as lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A₂ (Lp-PLA₂) could be useful to identify subject with high risk of cardiovascular events. Lp-PLA₂ participates by a crucial role in microvascular dysfunction and oxidative stress showing positive association with metabolic disorders. In this review, we will argue the evolving role of Lp-PLA₂ in predicting cardiovascular events in metabolic disease patients.