Resistin levels and inflammatory and endothelial dysfunction markers in obese postmenopausal women with type 2 diabetes mellitus

BACKGROUND: Obesity-associated coronary heart disease (CHD) risk is higher in women than in men with type 2 diabetes (T2DM). Resistin, an adipokine secreted by adispose tissue, may contribute to this higher risk. AIMS: To explore the relationships among resistin levels and common inflammatory and endothelial dysfunction markers and CHD risk in obese post-menopausal T2DM women. METHODS: Serum levels of resistin, hsCRP, IL-6, Soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule (sVCAM), homocysteine (tHcy), HOMA-IR and metabolic parameters were determined in a group of 132 T2DM women with and without documented CHD and in 55 non-diabetic women. RESULTS: Resistin, sVCAM, IL-6 and tHcy levels were comparable in T2DM and controls. CHD women showed higher resistin, sVCAM and tHcy levels than those without CHD, and for resistin this difference remained significant after age-adjustment (P = 0.013); conversely hsCRP were ~ 2X higher in T2DM women than in controls (P = 0.0132) without any difference according to CHD history. At univariate analysis resistin levels were significantly associated with age, waist circumference, hypertension, tHcy, hsPCR, sVCAM, IL-6, HDL-cholesterol, triglycerides and creatinine levels, but only creatinine, triglycerides, hsCRP, IL-6 and sVCAM were independently associated to resistin levels at stepwise regression analysis. Resistin levels were independently associated to CHD, increasing the risk by 1.15 times (0.986–1.344 95% CI), together with age, tHcy, LDL-C and hypertension. CONCLUSIONS: Circulating resistin levels were comparable in obese/overweight T2DM and control women. In T2DM women, resistin levels correlated with markers of renal function, systemic inflammation and endothelial dysfunction and were independently associated with a higher CHD risk. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13098-021-00715-7.