Resistin shown to be more strongly associated with inflammatory and fibrinolytic markers than with obesity and insulin resistance
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Although adipose tissue-derived resistin has been shown to increase insulin resistance (IR) in mice, its role in human disease is still controversial. A total of 3193 Chinese of both sexes aged 50-70 years were studied in order to assess plasma resistin levels and the associations with inflammatory and fibrinolytic markers. With a median concentration of 8.60 ng/ml, resistin correlated weakly with body mass index, waist circumference, HDL cholesterol (negatively), HOMA-IR and tumour necrosis factor-alpha receptor 2 (TNFaR2), and more highly with C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin (IL)-6 and plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI)-1. In multiple regression analysis, only HDL cholesterol, CRP, IL-6, TNFaR2 and PAI-1 remained significantly associated with resistin. Furthermore, higher prevalence of insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome was associated with elevated resistin levels. However, after adjusting for inflammatory and fibrinolytic markers (especially PAI-1), these significant relationships disappeared. In conclusion, resistin appears to be more strongly associated with inflammatory and fibrinolytic markers than with obesity and IR. The associations of resistin with IR and metabolic syndrome could largely be accounted for by inflammatory and fibrinolytic markers, especially PAI-1 levels, in line with previous observations suggesting that inflammation is a hyperresistinaemic state.
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