Inflammatory Markers and Atherogenic Coefficient: Early Markers of Metabolic Syndrome

Marjan Mahdavi-Roshan; Nargeskhatoon Shoaibinobarian; Morvarid Noormohammadi; Aboozar Fakhr Mousavi; Amir Savar Rakhsh; Arsalan Salari; Zeinab Ghorbani

doi:10.5812/ijem-127445

Inflammatory Markers and Atherogenic Coefficient: Early Markers of Metabolic Syndrome

Int J Endocrinol Metab. 2022 Aug 28;20(4):e127445. doi: 10.5812/ijem-127445. eCollection 2022 Oct.

Authors

Marjan Mahdavi-Roshan^{1

2}, Nargeskhatoon Shoaibinobarian¹, Morvarid Noormohammadi³, Aboozar Fakhr Mousavi¹, Amir Savar Rakhsh¹, Arsalan Salari¹, Zeinab Ghorbani^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Cardiovascular Diseases Research Center, Department of Cardiology, Heshmat Hospital, School of Medicine, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran.
² Department of Clinical Nutrition, School of Medicine, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran.
³ Department of Nutrition, School of Public Health, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.

Abstract

Background: Considering the close link between metabolic syndrome (MetSyn) and cardiovascular diseases, considerable attention has been devoted to the identification of their shared underlying pathological mechanisms in recent decades.

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the association between pro-inflammatory factors and newly-diagnosed MetSyn.

Methods: This case-control study recruited obese and nonobese individuals who were newly diagnosed with MetSyn (cases, n = 84) and healthy individuals (controls, n = 83). The medical and sociodemographic data of the participants were collected on enrollment. Serum analysis was performed to ascertain the concentrations of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), C-reactive protein (CRP), fasting blood sugar (FBS), total cholesterol, triglyceride, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and atherogenic coefficient (AC). Multiple regression analysis was carried out to explore the relationship between inflammatory markers and AC with MetSyn odds. The Pearson correlation test was also performed to investigate the correlations between metabolic and inflammatory parameters.

Results: Positive relationships were observed between the serum levels of TNF-α and CRP with the odds of MetSyn following controlling for confounders (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.32; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.01 - 1.72; AOR = 1.29; 95% CI: 1.18 - 1.41; respectively, P ≤ 0.03). Additionally, higher AC was accompanied by increased odds of MetSyn (AOR = 1.98; 95% CI: 1.31 - 2.98; P = 0.001). The Pearson correlation analysis also showed positive correlations between TNF-α levels and serum metabolic abnormalities, including elevated LDL-C, FBS, and AC and lowered HDL-C levels (P ≤ 0.02).

Conclusions: The present results revealed that higher serum concentrations of pro-inflammatory and atherogenic indices, including CRP, TNF-α, and AC, might be associated with elevated odds of newly diagnosed MetSyn regardless of potential confounders, particularly body mass index. The obtained findings might be moderated by the positive correlations observed between serum TNF-α, as the chronic inflammatory state indicator, and impaired lipid and glycemic markers.

Keywords: Hyperlipidemia; Inflammation; Metabolic Syndrome; Obesity; Triglyceride.