Association Between Serum Ceruloplasmin Levels and Arterial Stiffness in Korean Men with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Background: Increased oxidative stress contributes to the development of arterial stiffness. Arterial stiffness, as measured by brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV), has been known to be correlated with oxidative stress. Serum ceruloplasmin (CP), a copper-carrying protein, may indicate the overall level of oxidative stress in the body. The present study investigated whether serum CP levels are associated with baPWV in Korean men with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM). Subjects and Methods: Serum CP levels and conventional risk factors were measured in 760 Korean men with type 2 DM. Arterial stiffness was assessed by baPWV obtained with an automatic device (model VP-1000; Colin, Komaki, Japan). Results: Correlation analysis indicated a significant positive association between serum CP and baPWV (r=0.109, P=0.003). Age-adjusted baPWV increased gradually according to serum CP quartiles (Q1, 1,500.3 +/- 18.4 cm/s; Q2, 1,511.6 +/- 17.8 cm/s; Q3, 1,551.8 +/- 17.9 cm/s; Q4, 1,622.1 +/- 17.8 cm/s; P for trend <0.001). Multivariate linear regression analysis showed that serum CP was independently associated with baPWV in various models. Conclusions: A positive relationship was identified between CP and baPWV in adult male subjects with type 2 DM, which was independent of conventional cardiovascular risk factors. Further studies are needed to confirm whether CP contributes to the pathogenesis of increased arterial stiffness in subjects with type 2 DM.