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Circulating cell adhesion molecules in metabolically healthy obesity

Arij Mulhem1, Yusef Moulla2, Nora Klöting3

  • 1Medical Department III - Endocrinology, Nephrology, Rheumatology, University of Leipzig Medical Center, Leipzig, Germany.

International Journal of Obesity (2005)
|September 3, 2020
PubMed

Insights

Metabolically healthy obesity (MHO) is linked to higher cardiovascular risk due to elevated cell adhesion molecules (CAMs). Even in metabolically healthy individuals, MHO shows increased CAMs, suggesting a potential mechanism for cardiovascular disease.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiovascular Science
  • Metabolic Health
  • Obesity Research

Background:

  • Metabolically healthy obesity (MHO) presents an increased risk for cardiovascular mortality compared to metabolically healthy lean (MHL) individuals.
  • The precise mechanisms linking obesity to cardiovascular diseases remain incompletely understood.
  • Cell adhesion molecules (CAMs) are implicated in cardiovascular pathology.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate whether circulating cell adhesion molecules (CAMs) are elevated in individuals with MHO compared to MHL individuals.
  • To explore differences in CAMs between metabolically healthy and unhealthy obesity.
  • To assess the role of insulin sensitivity in CAM levels within MHO.

Main Methods:

  • Serum concentrations of soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (sICAM-1), soluble vascular adhesion molecule-1 (sVCAM-1), E-selectin, and P-selectin were measured.
  • Participants included metabolically healthy lean (MHL), metabolically healthy obese (MHO) categorized as insulin sensitive (IS) or insulin resistant (IR), and metabolically unhealthy obese (MUO) individuals.
  • Groups were age- and sex-matched.

Main Results:

  • Individuals with MHO exhibited significantly higher serum concentrations of sICAM-1, E-selectin, and P-selectin compared to MHL individuals.
  • These CAMs were lower in insulin-sensitive MHO compared to insulin-resistant MHO.
  • Metabolically unhealthy obese individuals displayed the highest levels of circulating adhesion molecules across all groups.

Conclusions:

  • Elevated CAMs in MHO suggest a potential mechanism mediating obesity-related cardiovascular risk, even in the absence of overt metabolic risk factors.
  • Further research is needed to elucidate the mechanisms driving elevated CAMs in MHO.
  • The predictive value of circulating CAMs for cardiovascular events warrants investigation.
Abstract

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