Fasting plasma leptin, tumor necrosis factor-alpha receptor 2, and monocyte chemoattracting protein 1 concentration in a population of glucose-tolerant and glucose-intolerant women: impact on cardiovascular mortality.
OBJECTIVE
Leptin and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha are associated with insulin resistance and cardiovascular disease. In vitro studies suggested that these effects may be mediated via overproduction of monocyte chemoattracting protein (MCP)-1/CCL2, which is a chemokine involved in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis.


METHODS
In this study, fasting plasma leptin, soluble TNF-alpha receptor 2 (TNF-alpha-R2), and MCP-1/CCL2 concentrations were measured in 207 middle-aged women (age 61 +/- 12 years, BMI 30.1 +/- 6.6 kg/m(2)), including 53 patients with type 2 diabetes, 42 with impaired glucose tolerance, and 112 with normal glucose tolerance, to assess cross-sectionally their relationship with markers of atherosclerosis and, longitudinally over 7 years, whether their circulating levels were associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality.


RESULTS
At baseline, leptin and TNF-alpha-R2 were not different among groups; meanwhile, MCP-1/CCL2 was increased in type 2 diabetes (P < 0.05). All showed significant associations with biochemical risk markers of atherosclerosis. In a univariate analysis, age, fasting insulin, leptin, and MCP-1/CCL2 were associated with CVD mortality at 7 years. When a multivariate analysis was performed, only age, leptin, and insulin retained an independent association with CVD mortality, with leptin showing a protective effect (hazard ratio 0.88; P < 0.02).


CONCLUSIONS
In middle-aged women, MCP-1/CCL2, leptin, and TNF-alpha-R2 were all related to biochemical risk markers of atherosclerosis. MCP-1/CCL2 concentration was the only one to be increased in type 2 diabetes with respect to nondiabetic women and the only one to be associated with increased risk of CVD mortality after a 7-year follow-up period in the univariate analysis. In the multivariate analysis, neither MCP-1/CCL2 nor TNF-alpha-R2 was associated with CVD mortality, and inspection of the data showed that leptin, in both the univariate and multivariate analysis, was associated with a protective effect.
D000368:Aged; D001786:Blood Glucose; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000401:mortality*; D018932:Chemokine CCL2 / Q000097:blood*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000097:blood / Q000401:mortality / Q000503:physiopathology; D005215:Fasting; D005260:Female; D018149:Glucose Intolerance / Q000097:blood* / Q000401:mortality* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D020738:Leptin / Q000097:blood*; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D012307:Risk Factors; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000378:metabolism*
D001786:Blood Glucose; D018932:Chemokine CCL2; D020738:Leptin; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha