Association between inflammatory markers and serum paraoxonase and arylesterase activities in the general population: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background: Recent studies focused on modulating factors of paraoxonase-1 (PON1) activity. In some studies the association between pro-inflammatory markers and PON1 activity was examined, but so far no population-based investigations on this issue have been conducted. The present study investigated the relationships between the pro-inflammatory markers tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, leptin, interleukin (IL)-6, and high-sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and paraoxonase and arylesterase, two hydrolytic activities of PON1, in the population-based Bavarian Food Consumption Survey II.

Methods: Based on 504 participants (217 men, 287 women), the relationship between the pro-inflammatory markers and the outcomes paraoxonase and arylesterase activities were investigated using multivariable linear models.

Results: Circulating plasma levels of leptin (P-value < 0.0001), hs-CRP (P-value = 0.031) and IL-6 (P-value = 0.045) were significantly non-linearly associated with arylesterase activity. Leptin levels were also significantly associated with paraoxonase activity (P-value = 0.024) independently from confounding factors, including high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol. With increasing levels of these inflammatory parameters, arylesterase and paraoxonase activities increased; however, at higher levels (> 75th percentile) the activities reached a plateau or even decreased somewhat. After Bonferroni-Holm correction, only leptin remained non-linearly but significantly associated with arylesterase activity (adjusted overall P-value < 0.0001). Neither age nor sex nor obesity modified the associations. No association was found between TNF-α and paraoxonase or arylesterase activity.

Conclusions: The present findings suggest that in persons with very high levels of inflammation, PON1 activity may be impaired, a fact that might subsequently be accompanied by a higher risk for cardiometabolic diseases. Whether or not the measurement of PON1 activity in combination with a lipid profile and certain inflammatory markers could improve the prediction of cardiometabolic diseases in middle-aged individuals from the general population should be evaluated in clinical studies.

Keywords: Arylesterase activity; Inflammation; Oxidative stress; PON1; Paraoxonase activity.

Fig. 1

Non-linear associations between leptin, hs-CRP and IL-6 levels and paraoxonase as well as arylesterase activities, respectively (total sample). Models were adjusted for age, sex, waist circumference, alcohol consumption, HDL cholesterol, physical activity, socioeconomic status, and smoking status

Fig. 2

Non-linear associations in the sex-specific subgroup analyses between leptin, hs-CRP and IL-6 levels and paraoxonase as well as arylesterase activities, respectively. Models were adjusted for age, waist circumference, alcohol consumption, HDL cholesterol, physical activity, socioeconomic status, and smoking status