Proinflammatory cytokines and cardiac abnormalities in uncomplicated obesity: relationship with abdominal fat deposition.
OBJECTIVE
Obesity can be considered a state of chronic, low-grade inflammation. Particularly, visceral adipose tissue (VAT) seems to be an active compartment in pro-inflammatory molecule secretion. The possible existence of a correlation between circulating cytokines, their soluble receptors, abdominal fat accumulation and echocardiographic abnormalities in uncomplicated obesity was investigated.


RESULTS
Echocardiographic parameters, C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), soluble IL-6 receptor (sIL-6-R), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and soluble TNF receptor I (TNFR-I) were assessed in 27 normotensive obese women (age 33.3+/-8.3 years; BMI 43.5+/-4.8 kg/m2) and 15 normal-weight controls (age 36.8+/-8.2 years; BMI 22.6+/-1.7 kg/m2). VAT was assessed by CT. The obese patients had higher serum IL-6 (p<0.01), sIL-6-R (p<0.0001), sIL-6-R/IL-6 complex (p<0.05), TNF-alpha (p<0.02), sTNF-alpha-RI (p<0.03) and CRP (p<0.0001) levels than normal women. Moreover, end-diastolic septum thickness (SW), end-diastolic posterior wall thickness (PW), absolute and indexed left ventricular mass, deceleration time (DT), myocardial performance index (MPI) and isovolumetric relaxation time (IVRT) were correlated with sIL-6-R, sIL-6-R/IL-6 complex and CRP levels. Interestingly, sIL-6-R, sIL-6-R/IL-6 complex, CRP, SW, PW, DT and MPI were higher in patients with a VAT area >130 cm2 than those with <130 cm2.


CONCLUSIONS
In normotensive obese women several pro-inflammatory molecules correlate with both echocardiographic abnormalities and the amount of intra-abdominal fat; these results may support a role for visceral fat in predisposing to cardiac dysfunction, possibly through a low-grade state of inflammation.
Malavazos
Alexis E
AE
Endocrinology Unit, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Milano, Italy.
Corsi
Massimiliano M
MM
Ermetici
Federica
F
Coman
Calin
C
Sardanelli
Francesco
F
Rossi
Antonio
A
Morricone
Lelio
L
Ambrosi
Bruno
B
D050153:Abdominal Fat / Q000378:metabolism*; D000328:Adult; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000032:analysis; D016207:Cytokines / Q000097:blood*; D004452:Echocardiography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D017379:Hypertrophy, Left Ventricular / Q000209:etiology; D007249:Inflammation / Q000150:complications; D007333:Insulin Resistance; D008875:Middle Aged; D009206:Myocardium / Q000473:pathology*; D009765:Obesity / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D019947:Receptors, Interleukin-6 / Q000097:blood; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000097:blood
D016207:Cytokines; D019947:Receptors, Interleukin-6; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D002097:C-Reactive Protein