Oxidized HDL, Adipokines, and Endothelial Dysfunction: A Potential Biomarker Profile for Cardiovascular Risk in Women with Obesity.

OBJECTIVE: High BMI predicts adverse cardiovascular outcomes and positively correlates with increased levels of adipokines. The relationship among BMI, IL-6, TNFα, adiponectin, and oxidized high-density lipoprotein (Ox-HDL) with circulating endothelial cells (CECs) and endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) has not been well studied. Elevated CEC levels have been described in both humans and mice with obesity and diabetes. Ox-HDL has been shown to be a potent driver of adipogenesis in vivo and in vitro. In this study, elevated BMI was examined in 2 groups of women studied in Brooklyn, New York, and Huntington, West Virginia, respectively.

METHODS: Twenty-six females with obesity and five lean controls without overt cardiovascular disease were enrolled, 13 from Huntington and 13 from Brooklyn. Cytokine levels, EPCs, and CECs were determined.

RESULTS: Females with obesity had elevated levels of leptin, IL-6, and Ox-HDL, increased CEC levels, and decreased EPC and adiponectin levels (all P < 0.01). The Ox-HDL levels were higher in women from Brooklyn versus Huntington (P < 0.01), possibly from higher TNFα levels in Brooklyn or higher adiponectin levels in Huntington. Seventy-five percent of the variance in Ox-HDL levels could be predicted in this population (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONS: This study reveals a unique inflammatory biomarker profile in females with obesity.