Lower plasma adiponectin is a marker of increased intima-media thickness associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus and with male gender.
OBJECTIVE
We tested the extent to which altered plasma adipokine levels may contribute to the increased carotid artery intima-media thickness (IMT) associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus and with male gender, independently of conventional cardiovascular risk factors, insulin resistance, and plasma C-reactive protein (CRP).


METHODS
IMT (mean of three segments of both carotid arteries by ultrasonography), insulin resistance (homeostasis model assessment; HOMA(ir)), plasma CRP, lipids, adiponectin, leptin, resistin, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) were measured in 84 type 2 diabetic patients and 85 control subjects.


RESULTS
In diabetic patients, IMT (P<0.001), mean arterial pressure (P<0.001), HOMA(ir) (P<0.001), plasma CRP (P=0.003), triglycerides (P=0.037), leptin (P=0.023), resistin (P=0.003), and TNF-alpha (P=0.003) levels were higher, whereas high-density lipoproteins (HDL) cholesterol (P<0.001) and adiponectin (P<0.001) levels were lower compared with control subjects. Plasma adiponectin (P<0.001) and leptin (P<0.001) were substantially lower in men than in women. IMT was positively and independently associated with age (P<0.001), diabetes (P=0.049), and male gender (P=0.002) in a multivariate regression model, not including other variables. Further analyses showed that IMT was positively related to age (P<0.001) and plasma triglycerides (P=0.038) and negatively to adiponectin (P<0.001), without independent effects of diabetes, gender, and HOMA(ir).


CONCLUSIONS
Increased IMT in type 2 diabetes may in part be explained by lower plasma adiponectin and higher triglycerides, but not by leptin, resistin, and TNF-alpha. The gender effect on IMT is related to lower plasma adiponectin.
Dullaart
Robin P F
RP
Department of Endocrinology, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, PO Box 30.001, 9700 RB Groningen, The Netherlands. r.p.f.dullaart@int.umcg.nl
de Vries
Rindert
R
van Tol
Arie
A
Sluiter
Wim J
WJ
D052242:Adiponectin / Q000097:blood*; D000368:Aged; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000032:analysis; D002339:Carotid Arteries / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000097:blood / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007328:Insulin / Q000097:blood; D020738:Leptin / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D052243:Resistin / Q000097:blood; D012737:Sex Factors; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000097:blood; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000097:blood; D017539:Tunica Intima / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D014463:Ultrasonography / Q000379:methods
D052242:Adiponectin; D007328:Insulin; D020738:Leptin; D052243:Resistin; D014280:Triglycerides; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D002097:C-Reactive Protein