Proinflammatory cytokines and cardiac abnormalities in uncomplicated obesity: Relationship with abdominal fat deposition

Malavazos, Alexis E.; Corsi, Massimiliano M.; Ermetici, Federica; Coman, Calin; Sardanelli, Francesco; Rossi, Antonio; Morricone, Lelio; Ambrosi, Bruno

doi:10.1016/j.numecd.2006.01.001

« Previous Next »Nutrition, Metabolism & Cardiovascular Diseases
Volume 17, Issue 4 , Pages 294-302, May 2007

Proinflammatory cytokines and cardiac abnormalities in uncomplicated obesity: Relationship with abdominal fat deposition

Alexis E. Malavazos
- Endocrinology Unit, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Milano, Italy
Massimiliano M. Corsi
- Laboratory of Clinical Pathology, Institute of General Pathology, University of Milano, Milano, Italy
Federica Ermetici
- Endocrinology Unit, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Milano, Italy
Calin Coman
- Echocardiography Unit, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Milano, Policlinico San Donato, San Donato Milanese, Milano, Italy
Francesco Sardanelli
- Radiology Unit, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Milano, Policlinico San Donato, San Donato Milanese, Milano, Italy
Antonio Rossi
- Endocrinology Unit, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Milano, Italy
Lelio Morricone
- Endocrinology Unit, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Milano, Italy
Bruno Ambrosi
- Endocrinology Unit, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Milano, Italy
- Corresponding author. Policlinico San Donato, Via Morandi 30, I-20097 San Donato Milanese, Milano, Italy. Tel./fax: +39 0252774444.

Received 9 November 2005; received in revised form 28 December 2005; accepted 4 January 2006. published online 31 March 2006.

Abstract

Background and aim

Obesity can be considered a state of chronic, low-grade inflammation. Particularly, visceral adipose tissue (VAT) seems to be an active compartment in pro-inflammatory molecule secretion. The possible existence of a correlation between circulating cytokines, their soluble receptors, abdominal fat accumulation and echocardiographic abnormalities in uncomplicated obesity was investigated.

Methods and results

Echocardiographic parameters, C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), soluble IL-6 receptor (sIL-6-R), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and soluble TNF receptor I (TNFR-I) were assessed in 27 normotensive obese women (age 33.3±8.3years; BMI 43.5±4.8kg/m²) and 15 normal-weight controls (age 36.8±8.2years; BMI 22.6±1.7kg/m²). VAT was assessed by CT. The obese patients had higher serum IL-6 (p<0.01), sIL-6-R (p<0.0001), sIL-6-R/IL-6 complex (p<0.05), TNF-α (p<0.02), sTNF-α-RI (p<0.03) and CRP (p<0.0001) levels than normal women. Moreover, end-diastolic septum thickness (SW), end-diastolic posterior wall thickness (PW), absolute and indexed left ventricular mass, deceleration time (DT), myocardial performance index (MPI) and isovolumetric relaxation time (IVRT) were correlated with sIL-6-R, sIL-6-R/IL-6 complex and CRP levels. Interestingly, sIL-6-R, sIL-6-R/IL-6 complex, CRP, SW, PW, DT and MPI were higher in patients with a VAT area >130cm² than those with <130cm².

Conclusion

In normotensive obese women several pro-inflammatory molecules correlate with both echocardiographic abnormalities and the amount of intra-abdominal fat; these results may support a role for visceral fat in predisposing to cardiac dysfunction, possibly through a low-grade state of inflammation.

Keywords: Adipocytokines, Visceral adipose tissue, Echocardiography, Computed tomography, Inflammation