Myeloperoxidase (MPO) and high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) as inflammatory biomarkers of endothelial and leukocyte activation in overweight hypertensive patients

Abstract

Background: Low-grade inflammation mediates the relation between overweight and the development of cardiovascular diseases. The study aimed to examine if myeloperoxidase (MPO) and hsCRP (high-sensitivity C-reactive protein) in overweight hypertensive patients can be used as biomarkers of endothelial and leukocyte activation. Material and methods: Seventy-five subjects were included in the study; 38 had essential arterial hypertension (AH) and 37 were normotensive controls (NC), subsequently divided into overweight (OW; BMI ≥ 25 kg/m 2 ) and normal weight subgroups (NW; BMI < 25 kg/m 2 ). Body mass index (BMI), inflammatory markers concentrations, association of MPO and hsCRP with AH and/or overweight were assessed. Results: AH patients had higher MPO (median 132.5 pmol/L, IQR: 53.8–691.9) (p < 0.001), while hsCRP did not significantly differ compared to normotensive controls (NC). NW-AH patients had higher MPO (p = 0.02) than normotensive NW patients. MPO was similar between normotensive patients OW and NW, while hsCRP concentration was significantly higher in the OW (median 1.85 mg/L, IQR: 0.47–7.19) (p = 0.01) compared to NW. OW-AH patients had significantly higher MPO (median 137.4 pmol/L, IQR: 53.80–703.4) (p = 0.002) compared to normotensive NW and OW (p < 0.001) patients, likely reflecting neutrophilic activation in hypertension. Additionaly, OW-AH patients had significantly higher hsCRP (median 1.71 mg/L, IQR: 0.22–14) (p = 0.005) than normotensive NW patients. hsCRP significantly positively correlated with BMI in both AH (r = 0.41, p = 0.009) and NC groups (r = 0.38, p = 0.01), while MPO did not correlate, supporting inflammation in OW, particularly in OW with AH. Conclusions: All together, the results suggest that inflammation may mediate mutual association of AH and OW, suggesting MPO as inflammatory biomarker for AH and hsCRP for overweight.