Circulating neuregulin 4 levels are inversely associated with subclinical cardiovascular disease in obese adults.
Neuregulin 4 (Nrg4) has been identified as a new secreted adipokine that may protect against development of obesity and metabolic disorders. However, information is not available regarding the association between circulating Nrg4 and subclinical atherosclerosis in humans. We measured serum Nrg4 in 485 obese adult subjects (aged 40 years or older) who had the measurement of carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) recruited from the community. Individuals with increased CIMT and carotid plaque had lower levels of circulating Nrg4 than controls (p < 0.05). The risks of increased CIMT and atherosclerotic plaque were significantly decreased by 28% and 31% [OR (95% CI): 0.72 (0.53-0.98) and 0.69 (0.50-0.96), respectively], adjusting for age, sex, current smoking, alcohol consumption, physical activity, BMI, systolic BP, fasting glucose, total cholesterol, HDL-c, HOMA-IR, and body fat. Importantly, individuals in the lowest quartile of serum Nrg4 were 3.70 times (p < 0.001) more likely to have increased CIMT and 2.06 times (p < 0.05) more likely to have atherosclerotic plaque than those in the highest quartile in multivariable logistic regression analyses. These findings suggest that circulating Nrg4 concentrations are inversely associated with subclinical atherosclerosis in obese adults, and indicating that circulating Nrg4 might play a role in identifying patients at high risk for CVD.
Xiamen Cancer Center, Department of Thoracic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, Xiamen, China.
Jie
J
Jiang
Department of Endocrinology and Diabetes, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, Xiamen, China.
Mingzhu
M
Lin
Department of Nephrology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China.
Yanfang
Y
Xu
Department of Endocrinology and Diabetes, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, Xiamen, China.
Jin
J
Shao
Department of Endocrinology and Diabetes, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, Xiamen, China.
Xuejun
X
Li
Department of Endocrinology and Diabetes, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, Xiamen, China.|Department of Epidemiology, Tulane University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, LA.
Huijie
H
Zhang
Department of Endocrinology and Diabetes, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, Xiamen, China.
Shuyu
S
Yang
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications; D059168:Carotid Intima-Media Thickness; D002681:China; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020880:Neuregulins / Q000097:blood*; D009765:Obesity / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications; D016017:Odds Ratio; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012307:Risk Factors; D012907:Smoking
D020880:Neuregulins; C467747:neuregulin-4