Circulating oxidized low-density lipoproteins and arterial elasticity: comparison between men with metabolic syndrome and physically active counterparts

BACKGROUND: Accumulation of oxidized low-density lipoproteins in the intimae of arteries and endothelial dysfunction are key events in the development of atherosclerosis. Patients with metabolic syndrome are at high risk for cardiovascular diseases but the linkage between metabolic syndrome and atherosclerosis is incompletely understood. We studied whether the levels of oxidized LDL and arterial elasticity differ between metabolic syndrome patients and physically active controls. METHODS: 40 men with metabolic syndrome and 40 physically active controls participated in this cross-sectional study. None of the study subjects had been diagnosed with cardiovascular disease. Levels of oxidized LDL were assessed by a two-site ELISA immunoassay. Arterial elasticity was assessed non-invasively by the HDI/PulseWave™ CR-2000 arterial tonometer. RESULTS: Levels of oxidized LDL were 89.6 ± 33.1 U/L for metabolic syndrome subjects and 68.5 ± 23.6 U/L for controls (p = 0.007). The difference remained significant after adjustment for LDL cholesterol. Large artery elasticity index (C1) was 16.2 ± 4.1 mL/mmHgx10 for metabolic syndrome subjects and 19.4 ± 3.7 mL/mmHgx10 for controls (p = 0.001), small artery indices (C2) were 7.0 ± 3.2 mL/mmHgx100 and 6.5 ± 2.9 mL/mmHgx100 (NS), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Subjects with metabolic syndrome had elevated levels of oxidized LDL and reduced large arterial elasticity compared to controls. This finding may partly explain the increased risk for cardiovascular diseases among metabolic syndrome patients. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01114763