This study by Vaverkova et al. investigated the relationships between adiponectin and serum concentrations of soluble forms of vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (sVCAM-1) and intercellular cell adhesion molecule-1 (sICAM-1) as well as with markers of insulin resistance and inflammation in patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD) or dyslipidemia. For that purpose, 264 patients (134 men/130 women), without hypolipidemic therapy for at least 6 weeks, were included in the study. Results indicated that adiponectin was independently positively associated with serum HDL cholesterol (p<0.0001) and sVCAM-1 (p<0.0001), and female gender (p<0.0001), and negatively associated with high sensitive C-reactive protein (p=0.014). Adiponectin’s positive association with sVCAM-1 in patients with or at risk for CVD was an unexpected finding. The authors hypothesized that adiponectin may be involved directly or indirectly in the shedding of ectodomains of VCAM-1 from the endothelial surface. Through this possible mechanism, high levels of adiponectin could protect the vessel wall from leukocytes adhesion and from atherosclerosis progression.
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