Assessment of selected serum inflammatory markers of acute phase response and their correlations with adrenal androgens and metabolic syndrome in a population of men over the age of 40.

INTRODUCTION: Inflammatory mechanisms and decreasing adrenal androgen production are involved in the pathogenesis of numerous age-related diseases. OBJECTIVES: The aim of our study was to assess selected negative (transferrin) and positive (alpha1-antichymotrypsin [alpha1-ACT], C-reactive protein [CRP]) acute phase proteins, and to investigate associations between these proteins and serum dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S) levels, as well as anthropometrical and biochemical indices of metabolic syndrome (MS) in men over 40 years of age. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In 271 randomly selected men aged 40 to 80 years and living in the province of Lubuskie, Poland, transferrin, alpha1-ACT, CRP, and adrenal androgens were measured and features of metabolic syndrome were evaluated. RESULTS: Age is strongly correlated with acute phase proteins in men: positively for CRP and alpha1-ACT (r = 0.216, P <0.001 and r = 0.193, P <0.05, respectively) and negatively for transferrin (r = -0.268, P <0.0001). CRP revealed a negative correlation with DHEA (r = -0.248, P <0.05), although not with DHEA-S. There were no correlations between alpha1-ACT, transferrin, and adrenal androgens. As opposed to adrenal androgens, serum CRP and transferrin (but not alpha1-ACT) levels are associated with metabolic syndrome (MS) in men over 40 years of age (P <0.001). CONCLUSIONS: A prognostic test using systemic markers of general inflammation (especially CRP) may help (as opposed to DHEA and DHEA-S) identify men over 40 years of age who suffer from MS.