BACKGROUND: The physiological mechanisms that promote longevity remain unclear. It has been suggested that insulin sensitivity is preserved in centenarians, whereas typical aging is accompanied by increasing insulin resistance. The oldest-old individuals display raised total adiponectin levels, despite the potential correlation between enhanced adiponectin and all-cause and cardiovascular mortality. AIM: To evaluate the level of adiponectin and its isoforms in sera of centenarians and to assess associations between adiponectin and metabolic parameters. PARTICIPANTS: A group of 58 Polish centenarians (50 women and 8 men, mean age 101±1.34 years) and 68 elderly persons (55 women and 13 men, mean age 70±5.69 years) as controls. MEASUREMENTS: Serum samples were analyzed to evaluate the following parameters: adiponectin array (total adiponectin, HWM-, MMW- and LMW-adiponectin; all by ELISA methods), insulin (by IRMA methods), glucose and lipid profiles. HOMA-IR was calculated. Clinical data were collected. Statistical analyses were performed. RESULTS: The concentrations of all adiponectin isoforms were significantly higher in the oldest-old participants. In the centenarian group, total adiponectin positively correlated with age and HDL-cholesterol, and HMW-adiponectin was negatively associated with insulin and triglycerides. The long-lived participants had a lower incidence of hypertension, type 2 diabetes, overweight and obesity, with lower concentrations of serum glucose and insulin, and reduced HOMA-IR. CONCLUSION: Our findings support the thesis that centenarians possess a different adiponectin isoform pattern and have a favorable metabolic phenotype in comparison with elderly individuals. However, additional work is necessary to understand the relevance of these findings to longevity.
BACKGROUND: The physiological mechanisms that promote longevity remain unclear. It has been suggested that insulin sensitivity is preserved in centenarians, whereas typical aging is accompanied by increasing insulin resistance. The oldest-old individuals display raised total adiponectin levels, despite the potential correlation between enhanced adiponectin and all-cause and cardiovascular mortality. AIM: To evaluate the level of adiponectin and its isoforms in sera of centenarians and to assess associations between adiponectin and metabolic parameters. PARTICIPANTS: A group of 58 Polish centenarians (50 women and 8 men, mean age 101±1.34 years) and 68 elderly persons (55 women and 13 men, mean age 70±5.69 years) as controls. MEASUREMENTS: Serum samples were analyzed to evaluate the following parameters: adiponectin array (total adiponectin, HWM-, MMW- and LMW-adiponectin; all by ELISA methods), insulin (by IRMA methods), glucose and lipid profiles. HOMA-IR was calculated. Clinical data were collected. Statistical analyses were performed. RESULTS: The concentrations of all adiponectin isoforms were significantly higher in the oldest-old participants. In the centenarian group, total adiponectin positively correlated with age and HDL-cholesterol, and HMW-adiponectin was negatively associated with insulin and triglycerides. The long-lived participants had a lower incidence of hypertension, type 2 diabetes, overweight and obesity, with lower concentrations of serum glucose and insulin, and reduced HOMA-IR. CONCLUSION: Our findings support the thesis that centenarians possess a different adiponectin isoform pattern and have a favorable metabolic phenotype in comparison with elderly individuals. However, additional work is necessary to understand the relevance of these findings to longevity.
Authors: Luca Liberale; Lina Badimon; Fabrizio Montecucco; Thomas F Lüscher; Peter Libby; Giovanni G Camici Journal: J Am Coll Cardiol Date: 2022-03-01 Impact factor: 24.094