Positive Correlation of Serum Adiponectin with Lipid Profile in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus is Affected by Metabolic Syndrome Status

Background: Type-2 diabetes mellitus (DM) and Metabolic syndrome (MetS) are both associated with dyslipidemia which may lead to development of vascular complications. Adiponectin is an anti-inflammatory protein synthesized by the adipose tissue. There is controversy regarding the association of adiponectin with lipid profile. Aim: To evaluate the correlation between serum adiponectin concentration and metabolic profile in patients with type-2 DM. Methods: A single center cross-sectional study was conducted on 173 patients with type-2 DM (82 males and 91 females). Plasma adiponectin concentration, lipid profile, glucose profile, and anthropometric features were investigated. Insulin resistance was determined using Homeostasis model assessment (HOMA). Correlation of serum adiponectin with lipid profile of patients with type-2 DM was assessed. Results: Adiponectin was negatively correlated with waist circumference (r =-0.16, P = 0.06) and positively with HbA1c (r = 0.19, P = 0.032), total cholesterol (r = 0.23, P = 0.017), LDL (r = 0.30, P=0.001), SD-LDL (r = 0.41, P < 0.001), and SD-LDULDL (r = 0.22, P = 0.023). We found a positive correlation between adiponectin and total cholesterol (r = 0.27, P= 0.055), LDL (r = 0.34, P= 0.026) and SD-LDL (r = 0.41, P= 0.006) in patients with at least 3 components of MetS criteria. Correlation of adiponectin with LDL and SD-LDL remained positively significant with increasing the number of MetS components. In patients with 5 components of MetS, serum adiponectin was significantly correlated with serum triglyceride (r = 0.89). Significant interaction was observed between adiponectin and metabolic syndrome in relation to serum lipid profile. Conclusion: The results of the present study suggest that in patients with type-2 DM and MetS, lipid profile is strongly correlated with blood concentration of adiponectin. The strongest association was observed between serum adiponectin and LDL.