Interleukin-12 Is Associated With Arterial Stiffness in Healthy Individuals

BACKGROUND Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a chronic inflammatory disease mediated by the proinflammatory cytokines interleukin-12 (IL-12) and interleukin-18 (IL-18). Evidence suggests that IL-12 is dominant in early atherosclerosis, while IL-18 is critical in advanced atherosclerosis. In this study, we explore the association between IL-12 and IL-18 and arterial stiffness in healthy individuals. METHODS We performed a cross-sectional study examining pulse wave velocity (PWV), augmentation index (AIx), IL-12, and IL-18 in healthy individuals (N = 53) without CVD risk factors. RESULTS In multivariate regression, age (P < 0.01), systolic blood pressure (P = 0.05), and IL-12 (P < 0.01) were positively associated with PWV, and high-density lipoprotein (P = 0.04) was negatively associated with PWV (model R-2 = 0.476, P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS IL-12, but not IL-18, is associated with PWV in healthy individuals without clinical CVD, supporting a role for IL-12 in early atherosclerosis as suggested by animal studies. Keywords: atherosclerosis; arterial stiffness; blood pressure; hypertension; inflammation; interleukin-12; interleukin-18.