Clinical relevance of circulating endocan and endoglin in excess body weight-associated endothelial dysfunction

Endothelial dysfunction is an early and pivotal event in the development of cardiovascular disease and a key mechanism linked to atherosclerotic plaque formation. Endocan and endoglin are emerging cardiometabolic markers and novel endothelial mediators that promote vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation and migration, contributing to intima-media thickening.

We aimed to assess endocan and soluble endoglin levels in young adults in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the associations among hyperglycemia, dyslipidemia, and endothelial dysfunction.

In this cross-sectional case-control study at UAE University, 182 young adults aged 18-22 years were classified as normal body weight (BW) (n = 61) or excess BW (n = 121) based on their body mass index. Anthropometry, systolic and diastolic blood pressures (SBP and DBP), inflammatory markers, the lipid profile, HbA1c, and plasma endocan and endoglin were measured. Multivariable linear regression analysis was performed to determine the associations between endoglin and log-transformed endocan and BW status and cardiometabolic variables, adjusting for age, sex, and family history of type 2 diabetes mellitus and hypertension.

Of the 182 participants, 88 (48%) were women, 121 (67%) had excess BW, and the mean (standard deviation) age was 19.96 years (1.79). Compared with the normal body weight group, the excess body weight group had significantly higher SBP, DBP, total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-6, apolipoprotein B (Apo-B), and log-transformed endocan (all p ≤ 0.041), along with significantly lower high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (p = 0.021) and apolipoprotein A (Apo-A) (p = 0.041) levels. In the adjusted models, endoglin was positively associated with excess BW, DBP, TC, and LDL-C, whereas log-transformed endocan was positively associated with excess BW, SBP, DBP, TC, LDL-C, Apo-B, and hs-CRP.

Among these young adults, elevated endocan and endoglin levels correlated with excess body weight and adverse metabolic profiles. Prospective studies are needed to determine whether these biomarkers predict future cardiometabolic or vascular outcomes.