Altered molecular weight forms of adiponectin in hypertension

Abstract

An important link between adiponectin and hypertension has been proposed in clinical studies. In the circulation, adiponectin is predominantly present in multimeric complexes, of which high-molecular weight (HMW) adiponectin is thought to represent the biological active form. The authors investigated which role the different multimeric adiponectin isoforms play in context with hypertension as compared to total adiponectin levels. Fifty (19 normotensive/31 hypertensive) patients were included in the study. Total adiponectin and adiponectin multimers were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and western blot. The authors analyzed associations between adiponectin multimer levels and blood pressure. Total adiponectin concentrations were not significantly different between hypertensive and normotensive patients (6.8±2.3 vs 7.5±4.2 μg/mL). HMW adiponectin was significantly lower (P