High levels of chemerin associated with variants in the NOS3 and APOB genes in rural populations of Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, Brazil

Chemerin is an adipokine that has been associated with components of metabolic syndrome. It has been described to affect adipocyte metabolism and inflammatory responses in adipose tissue, as well as the systemic metabolism of lipids and glucose. Few epidemiological studies have evaluated classical and genetics cardiovascular risk factors (CVRFs) in the mixed adult rural population in Brazil. Therefore, the present study explored possible associations between CVRFs and chemerin. This cross-sectional study included 508 adults from the rural localities of Lavras Novas, Chapada, and Santo Antônio do Salto in Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, Southeast Brazil. Demographic, behavioral, clinical, biochemical, anthropometric variables, and 12 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) linked with metabolic syndrome phenotypes were evaluated for associations with chemerin level. There was a significant association of high triglyceride levels [odds ratio (OR)=1.91, 95%CI: 1.23-2.98], insulin resistance (OR=1.82, 95%CI: 1.03-3.22), age (OR=1.64, 95%CI: 1.08-2.49), and sex (OR=1.99, 95%CI: 1.35-2.95) with high levels of chemerin. High chemerin levels were significantly associated with the genetic polymorphisms rs693 in the APOB gene (OR=1.50, 95%CI: 1.03-2.19) and rs1799983 in the NOS3 gene (OR=1.46, 95%CI: 1.01-2.12) for the AA and GT+TT genotypes, respectively. In the concomitant presence of genotypes AA of rs693 and GT+TT of rs1799983, the chance of presenting high levels of chemerin showed a 2.21-fold increase (95%CI: 1.25-3.88) compared to the reference genotype. The development of classical CVRFs in this population may be influenced by chemerin and by two risk genotypes characteristic of variants in well-studied genes for hypertension and dyslipidemia.