Strong correlations between circulating chemerin levels and lipoprotein subfractions in nondiabetic obese and nonobese subjects

SummaryObjective Chemerin is a recently described adipokine expressed primarily in the white adipose tissue. Compared with lean subjects, circulating chemerin levels are significantly elevated in obese individuals and correlate positively with the prevalence of various cardiovascular risk factors including altered lipoprotein levels. To date, the impact of chemerin on lipoprotein subfractions and its role in atherosclerotic processes are still unclear. Patients and Methods Fifty nondiabetic obese (NDO) patients and 38 lean controls matched in age and gender were enrolled. Chemerin level was measured by ELISA. Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) subfractions were detected by nongradient polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (Lipoprint). Results We detected significantly higher serum chemerin levels in NDO patients compared with healthy controls (590·1 ± 190·3 ng/ml vs 405 ± 127·1 ng/ml, P