Ho Li-Chung, Wu Hung-Tsung, Hung Hao-Chang, Chou Hsuan-Wen, Cheng Kai-Pi, Lin Ching-Han, Wang Chih-Chen, Ou Horng-Yih
Department of Internal Medicine, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan.
Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan.
Biofactors. 2023 Jan;49(1):119-126. doi: 10.1002/biof.1871. Epub 2022 Jun 9.
Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a major health issue worldwide accompanied by cardiovascular comorbidities. Growth differentiation factor-15 (GDF-15) is a stress-responsive cytokine expressed in cardiomyocytes, adipocytes, macrophages, and endothelial cells. Previous research in elderly subjects revealed that GDF-15 levels were associated with the MetS. However, the association between GDF-15 levels and MetS or its components in the non-elderly subjects remains unclear. In this study, a total of 279 subjects younger than 65-year-old with (n = 84) or without (n = 195) MetS were recruited. MetS was defined according to modified NCEP/ATP III criteria. The GDF-15 levels were measured by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. A multiple linear regression analysis was conducted to identify factors independently associated with GDF-15 levels. Subjects with MetS had higher GDF-15 levels than those without MetS (median (interquartile range), 1.72 ng/mL (1.38, 2.26) vs. 1.63 ng/mL (1.27, 2.07), P = 0.037). With the number of MetS components increased, the GDF-15 levels increased significantly (P for trend = 0.005). Multiple linear regression analysis revealed that the presence of MetS was positively associated with the GDF-15 levels (β = 0.132, P = 0.037). When substituting MetS with its components, only the presence of hyperglycemia was positively associated with the GDF-15 levels after adjustment for covariates (β = 0.193, P = 0.003). Taken together, the presence of the MetS in non-elderly was associated with higher GDF-15 levels. Among the MetS components, only hyperglycemia was significantly associated with the GDF-15 levels. Future longitudinal studies will be needed to explore whether GDF-15 has the potential to be a biomarker of gluco-metabolic dysfunction in non-elderly subjects.
代谢综合征（MetS）是一个全球性的主要健康问题，常伴有心血管合并症。生长分化因子-15（GDF-15）是一种应激反应细胞因子，在心肌细胞、脂肪细胞、巨噬细胞和内皮细胞中表达。先前针对老年受试者的研究表明，GDF-15水平与代谢综合征有关。然而，在非老年受试者中，GDF-15水平与代谢综合征及其组分之间的关联仍不清楚。在本研究中，共招募了279名年龄小于65岁的受试者，其中患有代谢综合征的有84名，未患代谢综合征的有195名。代谢综合征根据修改后的NCEP/ATP III标准进行定义。采用酶联免疫吸附测定法测量GDF-15水平。进行多元线性回归分析以确定与GDF-15水平独立相关的因素。患有代谢综合征的受试者的GDF-15水平高于未患代谢综合征的受试者（中位数（四分位间距），1.72 ng/mL（1.38，2.26）对1.63 ng/mL（1.27，2.07），P = 0.037）。随着代谢综合征组分数量的增加，GDF-15水平显著升高（趋势P = 0.005）。多元线性回归分析显示，代谢综合征的存在与GDF-15水平呈正相关（β = 0.132，P = 0.037）。当用代谢综合征的组分替代代谢综合征时，在调整协变量后，仅高血糖的存在与GDF-15水平呈正相关（β = 0.193，P = 0.003）。综上所述，非老年人中代谢综合征的存在与较高的GDF-15水平相关。在代谢综合征的组分中，只有高血糖与GDF-15水平显著相关。未来需要进行纵向研究，以探索GDF-15是否有可能成为非老年受试者糖代谢功能障碍的生物标志物。
