High white blood cell count and low estimated glomerular filtration rate are independently associated with serum level of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 in a general population.

BACKGROUND

Monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) plays a role in cardiovascular disease (CVD) and renal injury. Recent clinical studies have suggested that circulating levels of MCP-1 could be a biomarker of atherosclerosis and future cardiovascular events in humans. Because chronic kidney disease (CKD) is one of the risk factors of CVD, it is conceivable that elevated MCP-1 levels may link the increased risk of CVD in CKD patients. However, as far as we know, in addition to well-known traditional risk factors for atherosclerosis, whether renal dysfunction could be independently associated with the elevation of MCP-1 levels in a general population remains unknown. Therefore, we examined here which anthropometric and metabolic variables, including renal function, could be independent correlates of circulating levels of MCP-1 in a general population.

HYPOTHESIS

We hypothesized that renal function was one of the independent correlates of serum MCP-1 levels.

METHODS

A total of 860 Japanese residents (318 males and 542 females, mean age 65.4 ± 9.8 years) in a small fishing community underwent a complete history and physical examination with determination of blood chemistries, including serum levels of MCP-1.

RESULTS

Mean MCP-1 levels were 281.4 pg/mL. Multiple stepwise regression analyses revealed that male sex (P<0.0001), age (P=0.03), estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) (P<0.0001, inversely), and white blood cell count (P=0.037) were independently associated with MCP-1 levels.

CONCLUSIONS

The present study demonstrated for the first time that other than white blood cell count, eGFR was an independent correlate of serum levels of MCP-1 in a Japanese general population. Elevated MCP-1 levels may partly explain the increased risk of CVD in CKD patients.