Association Between Serum Cytokine Concentrations and the Presence of Hypertriglyceridemia Publisher Pubmed



Mirhafez SR^{1, 2} ; Tajfard M² ; Avan A² ; Pasdar A^{2, 3} ; Nedaeinia R^{4, 5} ; Aghasizade M² ; Davari H² ; Manian M^{6, 7} ; Mahdizadeh A⁸ ; Meshkat Z⁹ ; Movahedi A¹ ; Amini NG¹⁰ ; Eskandari N^{11, 12} ; Salehi R¹³ Show All Authors Show Affiliations
Source: Clinical Biochemistry Published:2016

Abstract

Objective Hypertriglyceridemia is an established risk factor for coronary-heart-disease. Inflammatory cytokines are known to be important mediators of atherogenesis; however, the relationship between the concentrations of specific inflammatory cytokines and the presence of hypertriglyceridemia has not been well established. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between the serum levels of several pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines and the presence of hypertriglyceridemia. Design and methods Four hundred and eighty-four subjects with/without established hypertriglyceridemia were recruited. Anthropometric parameters and biochemical analysis (including a full fasting lipid profile) were determined. The serum levels of several cytokines and growth factors including IL-1α, IL-1β, IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, TNF-α, MCP-1, IFN-γ, EGF, and VEGF were measured followed by univariate and multivariate analyses. Results Individuals with hypertriglyceridemia had a significantly higher body mass index, total-cholesterol and triglyceride, compared to the group without hypertriglyceridemia. Serum levels of MCP-1, TNF-α and IL-8 were significantly higher in subjects with hypertriglyceridemia [e.g., IL-8 from 7.8 ng/L (95% CI: 4.6–18.9) versus 5.7 ng/L (95% CI: 3.6–11.9), P < 0.05]. The multivariate analysis showed that the increased serum concentration of TNF-α was independently associated with high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), while the serum levels of IL-8 and MCP-1 were associated with hypertriglyceridemia. Conclusion Subjects with serum triglycerides of ≥ 2.25 mmol/L had an altered cytokine-profile, particularly with respect to serum IL-8, MCP-1 and TNF-α, which might partially account for its adverse clinical-consequences. Further-investigations in a large multi-center setting are warranted to unravel the potential functional-importance of these cytokines in individuals with hypertriglyceridemia. © 2016 The Canadian Society of Clinical Chemists