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Elevated circulating levels of lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 in obese children

  • Sophia Sakka , Tania Siahanidou , Chronis Voyatzis , Panagiota Pervanidou , Christina Kaminioti , Natalia Lazopoulou , Christina Kanaka-Gantenbein , George P. Chrousos and Ioannis Papassotiriou EMAIL logo
Published/Copyright: January 10, 2015
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Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (CCLM)
From the journal Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (CCLM) Volume 53 Issue 7

Abstract

Background: Obesity and cardiovascular disease (CVD) often co-exist, but the pathophysiologic mechanisms that link the two are not fully understood. Lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2) is involved in the modification of lipids within atheromatous plaques. Recently, circulating Lp-PLA2 was found to be predictive of thromboembolic episodes in adults, independently of a variety of other potential risk factors, including markers of inflammation, renal function, and hemodynamic stress. However, the function of this lipase and its importance as a biomarker in childhood obesity is much less studied. The aim of the study was to study Lp-PLA2, a non-traditional risk factor of CVD, in obese children.

Methods: Sixty-seven lean [39 boys and 28 girls, mean body mass index (BMI) z-score –0.2±0.8] and 66 obese (32 boys and 34 girls, mean BMI z-score 4.4±1.2) age-matched (p=0.251) children, aged 6–12 years, were studied. BMI z-score was calculated based on the Greek BMI growth curves, and children were categorized as obese according to the Cole criteria. All children underwent physical examination and a fasting morning blood sample was obtained for glucose, insulin, lipid profile, and Lp-PLA2 assessment. Plasma concentrations of Lp-PLA2 were determined by a commercially available Lp-PLA2 enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit (PLAC Test), while other measurements were performed using standard methods.

Results: Plasma Lp-PLA2 levels were significantly higher in obese children (322.5±77.8 ng/mL) compared with normal-weight ones (278.0±64.4 ng/mL, p<0.001). Lp-PLA2 concentrations were significantly correlated with the BMI z-score (p=0.004). Receiver operating characteristic analysis on Lp-PLA2 values resulted in significant areas under the curve (AUC) for distinguishing between obese and normal-weight groups of children (AUC, 0.726; p<0.001).

Conclusions: We found significantly higher Lp-PLA2 levels in obese children than lean controls. Interestingly, they all had levels >200 ng/mL, which are considered to correlate with atherosclerosis and a high thromboembolic risk in adults. The positive correlation of Lp-PLA2 with BMI suggests that Lp-PLA2 might be the link between obesity and increased cardiovascular risk, which can be elevated even at a very young age. Measurement of Lp-PLA2 in plasma could therefore represent a further biomarker for assessing increased CVD risk in obese children and adolescents.

Keywords: biomarkers; BMI; cardiovascular risk; children; lipids; lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2); obesity
Corresponding author: Dr Ioannis Papassotiriou, Department of Clinical Biochemistry, “Aghia Sophia” Children’s Hospital Athens 11527, Greece, Phone/Fax: +30-213-2013171, E-mail: ;

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Received: 2014-11-4
Accepted: 2014-12-4
Published Online: 2015-1-10
Published in Print: 2015-6-1

©2015 by De Gruyter

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https://doi.org/10.1515/cclm-2014-1081
Keywords for this article
biomarkers; BMI; cardiovascular risk; children; lipids; lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2); obesity

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Frontmatter
  2. Editorial
  3. Personalized medicine: moving from simple theory to daily practice
  4. Evaluating and using innovative technologies: a lesson from Theranos?
  5. Review
  6. Emerging biomarkers in the detection and prognosis of prostate cancer
  7. Mini Review
  8. Could molecular assessment of calcium metabolism be a useful tool to early screen patients at risk for pre-eclampsia complicated pregnancy? Proposal and rationale
  9. Opinion Papers
  10. Is laboratory medicine ready for the era of personalized medicine? A survey addressed to laboratory directors of hospitals/academic schools of medicine in Europe
  11. Theranos phenomenon: promises and fallacies
  12. Clinical laboratories: production industry or medical services?
  13. Genetics and Molecular Diagnostics
  14. Role of JAK2 V617F mutation and aberrant expression of microRNA-143 in myeloproliferative neoplasms
  15. Direct identification of Gram-positive bacteria and resistance determinants from blood cultures using a microarray-based nucleic acid assay: in-depth analysis of microarray data for undetermined results
  16. General Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine
  17. Comparison between bottom-up and top-down approaches in the estimation of measurement uncertainty
  18. Role of vitamin D and sFlt-1/PlGF ratio in the development of early- and late-onset preeclampsia
  19. Adenosine deaminase, dipeptidyl peptidase-IV activities and lipid peroxidation are increased in the saliva of obese young adult
  20. PON-1 and ferroxidase activities in older patients with mild cognitive impairment, late onset Alzheimer’s disease or vascular dementia
  21. Comparison of five automated hematology analyzers in a university hospital setting: Abbott Cell-Dyn Sapphire, Beckman Coulter DxH 800, Siemens Advia 2120i, Sysmex XE-5000, and Sysmex XN-2000
  22. Dacryocytes are a common morphologic feature of autoimmune and microangiopathic haemolytic anaemia
  23. Performance characteristics of a new automated method for measurement of anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide
  24. The clinical performance of a chemiluminescent immunoassay in detecting anti-cardiolipin and anti-β2 glycoprotein I antibodies. A comparison with a homemade ELISA method
  25. Reference Values and Biological Variations
  26. Reference interval for immature platelet fraction on Sysmex XN hematology analyzer: a comparison study with Sysmex XE-2100
  27. Development of the first urinary reproductive hormone ranges referenced to independently determined ovulation day
  28. Cancer Diagnostics
  29. Urinary miR-183 and miR-205 do not surpass PCA3 in urine as predictive markers for prostate biopsy outcome despite their highly dysregulated expression in prostate cancer tissue
  30. Cardiovascular Diseases
  31. Elevated circulating levels of lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 in obese children
  32. Letters to the Editors
  33. Reporting of hemolysis index (HI) with laboratory results should be obligatory in newborns and infants
  34. Unmeasurably high chloride: a surrogate marker of thiocyanate poisoning identification
  35. Association between red cell distribution width and myocardial infarction in rheumatoid arthritis
  36. Plasmatic and urinary glycosaminoglycan profile in a patient affected by multiple sulfatase deficiency
  37. Rapid diagnosis of cryptococcal meningitis by Türk staining
  38. A high selectivity and sensitivity analytical method for the analysis of 8-hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine in the urine of Alzheimer’s disease patients
  39. S100B protein concentration measurement according to two different immunoassays
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