Objectives: The role of the novel adipokines, omentin-1 and chemerin, in coronary artery disease is still obscure. The present study analyzed the serum levels of omentin-1 and chemerin in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) as well as prospectively 6 months post-AMI.
Methods: Seventy-eight patients (63 men and 15 women) with first AMI were enrolled. Thirty-two age-matched and sex-matched individuals without overt cardiovascular disease served as healthy controls. Serum levels of omentin-1, chemerin, interleukin-18 (IL-18), high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), glycemic and lipid profiles, blood pressure, BMI and ejection fraction were assayed. In AMI patients, blood samples were obtained at hospital admission and after 6 months, whereas coronary angiography was performed within 7 days after admission.
Results: At baseline, AMI group appeared with significantly lower ejection fraction, omentin-1 and high-density lipoprotein serum levels, whereas it had higher concentrations of white blood cells count (WBC), hsCRP, IL-18 and chemerin compared with healthy controls (P < 0.05). After 6 months of follow-up, the concentrations of WBC, hsCRP and IL-18 significantly downregulated, whereas omentin-1 levels considerably increased (from 18.73 ± 3.66 ng/ml to 28.62 ± 5.61 ng/ml, P < 0.001) within AMI group. In contrast, serum chemerin did not significantly change (263.37 ± 73.32 ng/ml vs. 195.90 ± 84.32 ng/ml, P = 0.190). In standard multiple regression analyses, baseline levels and changes of hsCRP and IL-18 levels during follow-up remained independent determinants of omentin-1, respectively at baseline and after follow-up.
Conclusion: Patients with AMI showed at admission lower omentin-1 and higher chemerin serum levels compared with healthy controls. The suppression of inflammation in the 6-month post-AMI period might have mediated the significant upregulation of omentin-1, implicating a novel target of treatment.
Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00636766.