Monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 is related to metabolic syndrome and homocysteine in subjects without clinically significant atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease

Background. The features of the metabolic syndrome include glucose intolerance, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and central obesity, all of which are risk factors for diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) and interleukin-8 (IL-8) play a key role in atherosclerosis. We examined the association between chemokines, such as MCP-1 and IL-8, and metabolic syndrome. Methods. The present study was comprised of 54 men and 126 women. Subjects with cardiovascular disease such as myocardial infarction, TIA and cerebral infarction were excluded. Results. MCP-1 was positively correlated with homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance, homocysteine, and mean pulse wave velocity, but IL-8 was not. In multiple regression analysis, age, HOMA-IR and homocysteine were found to be an independent factor associated with MCP-1 adjusted by gender, waist, systolic blood pressure, triglyceride, HDL-cholesterol, and hs-CRP. After adjustment for age and gender, mean MCP-1 was higher in subjects with metabolic syndrome and in subject with high blood pressure among the individual components of the metabolic syndrome. Conclusion. MCP-1 was associated with a low-grade systemic inflammatory reaction which is often found in the metabolic syndrome.