title: Plasma concentration of pigment epithelium-derived factor is closely associated with blood pressure and predicts incident hypertension in Chinese: a 10-year prospective study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF) is secreted from the adipose tissue. It circulates at high concentrations, and was reported to play a causal role in obesity-induced insulin resistance and metabolic dysfunctions in mice. Previous cross-sectional studies also demonstrated plasma PEDF concentration correlated positively with systolic blood pressure (BP) and pulse pressure, and inversely with small artery elasticity. Here we investigated the relationship of plasma PEDF concentration with BP and incident hypertension in a 10-year prospective study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Baseline plasma PEDF concentrations were measured by ELISA in 520 Chinese subjects, aged 51 ± 12 years, followed up long-term from the population-based Hong Kong Cardiovascular Risk Factor Prevalence Study. The association between plasma PEDF concentration and BP was investigated in both cross-sectional and prospective studies, using multiple linear regression and path analyses. Cox proportional hazards analysis was used to determine whether baseline PEDF concentration was independently related to the subsequent development of hypertension over 10 years.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Baseline plasma concentrations of PEDF were higher in men (P < 0·001), and were directly related to systolic BP at 2 and 5 years, and to diastolic BP at 2 years, after adjustment for covariates. Of the 386 normotensive subjects at baseline, high baseline PEDF concentration was predictive of incident hypertension, independent of the effects of age, sex, baseline BP and obesity parameters (hazard ratio: 1·135; 95% CI: 1·039-1·241; P = 0·005).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our data suggest that plasma PEDF concentration is significantly associated with BP, and incident hypertension. PEDF may be involved in the pathogenesis of hypertension in humans.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, LKS Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: Cheng
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Annette W K
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: Tso
authors.forename: Bernard M Y
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Cheung
authors.forename: Lawrence S C
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Law
authors.forename: K L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Ong
authors.forename: Nelson M S
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Wat
authors.forename: Edward D
authors.initials: ED
authors.lastname: Janus
authors.forename: Aimin
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Karen S L
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Lam
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D044466:Asian People; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology*; D005136:Eye Proteins / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009414:Nerve Growth Factors / Q000097:blood*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D015843:Serpins / Q000097:blood*; D000099174:Pigment Epithelium-Derived Factor
chemical_list: D005136:Eye Proteins; D009414:Nerve Growth Factors; D015843:Serpins; D000099174:Pigment Epithelium-Derived Factor