Associations of circulating adiponectin with estradiol and monocyte chemotactic protein-1 in postmenopausal women

In Brief Objective: The aim of the present study was to clarify the association of serum adiponectin concentrations with serum 17β-estradiol concentrations in pre-, peri-, and postmenopausal women. In addition, the associations of serum adiponectin with serum concentrations of proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines were examined in women during the menopausal transition. Design: A total of 197 women were enrolled in this study: 33 premenopausal women, 80 perimenopausal women, and 84 postmenopausal women. Serum adiponectin concentration was measured by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Serum concentrations of the proinflammatory cytokines interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor α, anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10, and the chemokines IL-8, macrophage inflammatory protein-1β and monocyte chemotactic protein-1 were measured by using a multiplexed human cytokine assay. Results: Serum adiponectin concentration showed a significant negative correlation with serum estradiol concentration (r = −0.400, P = 0.001) in postmenopausal women but not in pre- and perimenopausal women, and this correlation was significant after adjustment for age and body mass index. Serum adiponectin concentration also showed a significant negative correlation with serum monocyte chemotactic protein-1 concentration (r = −0.244, P = 0.05) in postmenopausal women. Conclusion: An increase in adiponectin level due to a decrease in estradiol results in a reduction in monocyte chemotactic protein-1 level in postmenopausal women, suggesting that adiponectin may be associated with a protective role against insulin resistance and atherosclerosis, which occur in the postmenopausal stage. This study shows that decrease in serum estradiol concentration is associated with increase in serum adiponectin concentration, and serum adiponectin concentration has a significant negative correlation with serum monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 concentration in postmenopausal women.