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 (α1‑antichymotrypsin [α1‑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, α1‑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 α1‑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 α1‑ACT, transferrin, and adrenal androgens. As opposed to adrenal androgens, serum CRP and transferrin (but not α1‑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.