Associations of plasma homocysteine level with brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity, LDL atherogenicity, and inflammation profile in healthy men
Received 10 December 2008; received in revised form 9 August 2009; accepted 11 August 2009. published online 26 October 2009. Corrected Proof
Abstract
Aims
To investigate the association of plasma total homocysteine (tHcy) with arterial stiffness, measured as brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV), LDL atherogenicity, and inflammation profile in healthy men.
Methods and Results
In this cross-sectional study, 612 healthy men aged 31–79 years were classified into quartiles according to plasma tHcy concentration. In the total study population, tHcy concentration showed positive correlation with age (r=0.083, P=0.040), interleukin (IL)-1β (r=0.249, P<0.001), TNF-α (r=0.150, P<0.001), IL-6 (r=0.154, P<0.001), oxidized LDL (oxLDL) (r=0.161, P=<0.001), and baPWV (r=0.087, P=0.032); and negative correlation with folate (r=−0.353, P<0.001) and vitamin B12 (r=−0.269, P<0.001). In subgroup analysis based on plasma tHcy level, tHcy was associated with baPWV in men with high levels of tHcy (≥13.1μmol/L, n=153; r=0.258, P=0.001), but not in those with low-tHcy (<13.1μmol/L, n=459; r=−0.033, P=0.478). The association between tHcy and baPWV in the high-tHcy group remained significant after adjustment for age, BMI, smoking, drinking, folate, and vitamin B12. In the high-tHcy group, tHcy level was also positively correlated with IL-1β, TNF-α, oxLDL, and blood pressure; and negatively correlated with LDL particle size. In addition, baPWV showed negative correlation with LDL particle size and positive correlation with oxLDL in the high-tHcy group.
Conclusion
This study shows an association between high levels of plasma tHcy and more advanced arterial stiffness, smaller LDL particle size, and higher levels of oxLDL and cytokines in men with hyperhomocysteinemia. Enhanced arterial stiffness in hyperhomocysteinemia might be attributed, in part, to Hcy-related LDL atherogenicity.
aNational Research Laboratory of Clinical Nutrigenetics/Nutrigenomics, Dept. of Food and Nutrition, College of Human Ecology, Yonsei Univ., Seoul, Republic of Korea
bYonsei University Research Institute of Science for Aging, Yonsei Univ., Seoul, Republic of Korea
cCardiology Division, Cardiovascular Center, Yonsei Univ., College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
dCardiovascular Genome Center, College of Medicine, Yonsei Univ., Seoul, Republic of Korea
eDivision of Cardiovascular Diseases, Center for Biomedical Sciences, National Institute of Health, Seoul, Republic of Korea
fDept. of Family Practice, National Health Insurance Corporation Ilsan Hospital, Goyang-si, Republic of Korea
Corresponding author at: Dept of Food & Nutrition, Yonsei Univ., 134 Shinchon-Dong, Sudaemun-Gu, Seoul 120-749, Republic of Korea. Tel.: +82 2 2123 3122; fax: +82 2 364 9605.
ABSTRACT
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