Background: Leptin, adiponectin, and resistin are in a class of hormones called adipokines that are produced by adipocytes and have been implicated in the causal pathway of atherosclerosis. We examined the association between adipokine levels and peripheral artery disease (PAD), hypothesizing that after adjusting for fat mass, leptin and resistin would be higher, whereas adiponectin would be lower, in patients with PAD.
Methods: A cross-sectional sample of 179 predominately male (97%) vascular surgery outpatients was recruited from the San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center (SFVAMC). PAD was defined as either an ankle-brachial index < 0.9 plus symptoms of claudication or prior revascularization for symptomatic PAD (n = 141). Controls had an ankle-brachial index ≥0.9 and no history of atherosclerotic disease (n = 38). Adipokines were assayed using commercially available ELISA kits and values were log-transformed. Fat mass was measured using bioelectrical impedance.
Results: In an analysis adjusting for body mass index (BMI) and atherosclerotic risk factors, higher serum leptin was associated with PAD (OR 2.54, 95% CI 1.07-6.01, P = 0.03), whereas high molecular weight adiponectin was inversely associated, though not significantly (OR 0.60, 95% CI 0.33-1.08, P = 0.09). Resistin was not associated with PAD. Sensitivity analyses using fat mass/height2 rather than BMI yielded similar results.
Conclusions: These results indicate that after adjusting for BMI or fat mass, serum leptin levels are positively and independently associated with PAD, whereas high molecular weight adiponectin might be inversely associated. Using a more representative, nonveteran sample, further investigations should focus on the potential role of adipokines in the pathophysiology of PAD as well as determine whether leptin levels have clinical utility in predicting PAD outcomes.
Keywords: Adipokines; Adiponectin; Leptin; Peripheral artery disease; Vascular biology.
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