Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor-1 and Adiponectin Are Associated With Metabolic Syndrome Components

BACKGROUND We aimed to study the associations of adipocytokines, endothelial damage markers, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) with metabolic syndrome (MetS) components. METHODS This cross-sectional study included 202 subjects categorized into MetS and No-MetS according to Harmonizing Adult Treatment Panel III. RESULTS Subjects with MetS showed higher levels of proinflammatory molecules but significantly lower adiponectin levels than subjects with No-MetS. Among the studied adipocytokines, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) and adiponectin showed the strongest associations with most MetS components. PAI-1 was associated with MetS (odds ratio (OR) 1.107 (1.065-1.151), P < 0.0001), whereas adiponectin was inversely associated with MetS (OR 0.710 (0.610-0.825), P < 0.0001). Following adjustment by sex, age, body mass index, and 24-hour urinary sodium excretion in a multivariate analysis, the association of PAI-1 (OR 1.090 (1.044-1.137), P < 0.0001) and adiponectin (OR 0.634 (0.519-0.775), P < 0.0001) with MetS remained significant. Multivariate analyses supported a model in which systolic blood pressure (BP) could be predicted by PAI-1, hs-CRP, and matrix metalloproteinase 2 (R-2 = 0.125; P = 0.04); diastolic BP (R-2 = 0.218; P = 0.0001) and glucose (R-2 = 0.074; P = 0.0001) could be predicted by PAI-1; waist circumference could be predicted by PAI-1 and hs-CRP (R-2 = 0.28; P = 0.016). Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed that a PAI-1 concentration had the best sensitivity and specificity for discriminating subjects with MetS. CONCLUSION PAI-1 and adiponectin rendered the most robust associations with MetS components in a general population, indicating that unfavorable adipose tissue performance is a key contributor to these metabolic anomalies. Further prospective analyses should allow establishing whether these adipocytokines can anticipate the progress of MetS and cardiovascular risk.

Automated summary

The study showed that PAI-1 and adiponectin have the strongest associations with MetS components, indicating that unfavorable adipose tissue performance is a key contributor to these metabolic anomalies. Further prospective analyses are needed to determine if these adipocytokines can predict the progression of MetS and cardiovascular risk.