Adiponectin and HMW Oligomers in Relation to Inflammatory Markers in Crohn's Disease Patients

Background/Objectives: Crohn's disease (CD), a chronic inflammatory gastrointestinal illness, is the result of genetics and environmental factors. Adipose tissue has recently been found to play a significant role in CD. Methods: here, we examined the relationship between adiponectin, HMW oligomers, and CD in 92 patients. Results: first, we verified that the patients' therapies had no influence on the nutritional and biochemical variables. Correlation analysis between HMW adiponectin and nutritional parameters found no relationship; therefore, we investigated its relationship with CD severity and inflammatory markers. Based on adiponectin, we divided patients into tertiles and found that CDAI was lowest in the second and third tertile [I: <19.3 (n = 31); II: 19.3-22.2 (n = 31); III: >22.2 (n = 30)]. Furthermore, IL-6 and CRP were higher in the second and third tertile, while lymphocytes were lower in the second and third tertile. Correlation analysis showed that both adiponectin and HMW oligomers were inversely related to lymphocytes and directly related to CRP. A ROC curve evidenced that patients carrying adiponectin values ≤ 19 performed well in predicting worse CDAI and lymphocyte values (AUCs: 0.826 and 0.806). Next, we divided CD patients into tertiles based on HMW adiponectin, finding that IL-6 was highest in the second and third tertile. Lymphocytes were lowest in the third tertile while CRP values were substantially higher. Conclusions: altogether, these data suggest a biological role for adiponectin and HMW oligomers in CD severity and inflammatory status. However, the molecular effects related to adiponectin in CD remain unclear and further studies are needed to clarify its applicability as a biomarker.