Cardiovascular risk factors and gamma-glutamyltransferase fractions in healthy individuals.
BACKGROUND
Serum gamma-glutamyltransferase activity (GGT), even when within its normal reference range, catalyzes low density lipoprotein oxidation in vitro and predicts cardiovascular events. Of the four GGT fractions (b-GGT, m-GGT, s-GGT, and f-GGT) recently identified in blood, only b-GGT is found within atherosclerotic plaques. Our goal was to identify the determinants of the GGT fractions (b-, m-, s-, and f-GGT) and their association with established cardiovascular risk factors in healthy subjects.


METHODS
Multiple linear regression analysis was applied to estimate the association of fractional GGT with gender, age, body mass index, arterial pressure (AP), plasma glucose, alanine aminotransferase (ALT), high and low density lipoproteins (LDL-C) cholesterol (HDL-C), triglycerides (TG) and C-reactive protein (CRP) in 200 healthy subjects.


RESULTS
All GGT fractions were associated with ALT; b-GGT with AP, TG, and CRP; m-GGT with LDL-C, TG and CRP; s-GGT with TG and CRP, and f-GGT only with LDL-C, whereas gender was associated with s-GGT and f-GGT only.


CONCLUSIONS
In healthy individuals, cardiovascular risk factors are associated with high molecular weight GGT fractions, namely with b-GGT, the only form present within the plaque. This finding adds to the present knowledge concerning the relevance of GGT, within its reference range, for atherosclerosis-related events.
Scuola Superiore S Anna, Pisa, Italy. m.franzini@sssup.it
Maria
M
Franzini
Aldo
A
Paolicchi
Irene
I
Fornaciari
Virginia
V
Ottaviano
Vanna
V
Fierabracci
Maristella
M
Maltinti
Andrea
A
Ripoli
Luc
L
Zyw
Fabrizio
F
Scatena
Claudio
C
Passino
Alfonso
A
Pompella
Michele
M
Emdin
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000032:analysis; D001794:Blood Pressure; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000032:analysis; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL / Q000097:blood; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000097:blood; D005723:gamma-Glutamyltransferase / Q000097:blood*
D001786:Blood Glucose; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL; D014280:Triglycerides; D002097:C-Reactive Protein; D005723:gamma-Glutamyltransferase