Elevated Circulating Lipocalin-2 Levels Independently Predict Incident Cardiovascular Events in Men in a Population-Based Cohort

OBJECTIVE: Adipose tissue inflammation and perturbation of adipokine secretion may contribute to the pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Lipocalin-2 (LCN2), mainly released from adipocytes, has been shown to be positively associated with CVD in cross-sectional studies. We aimed to evaluate the association of LCN2 with CVD involving a population-based cohort recruited from the Shanghai Diabetes Study. APPROACH AND RESULTS: Serum LCN2 levels were measured using ELISA. Independent predictors of CVD development were identified using Cox proportion hazards regression. The predictive performances of the various models were assessed by Kaplan-Meier analysis. At baseline, circulating LCN2 was significantly associated with a cluster of traditional cardiovascular risk factors. Baseline LCN2 levels in male subjects who developed CVD events during follow-up were significantly higher than those who did not develop CVD events (P=0.012). However, such difference was not significant in female subjects. LCN2 was a predictor of CVD in men, which remained statistically significant after adjustment for traditional cardiovascular risk factors (hazard ratio, 1.038 [95% confidence interval, 1.017-1.060]). LCN2 remained significantly associated with incident CVD even after adjustment for renal function, adiponectin, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein levels. Kaplan-Meier analysis suggested combination of LCN2 and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein might improve the prediction of CVD events in male subjects. CONCLUSIONS: Elevated circulating LCN2 level is an independent predictor of CVD events in men in a population-based cohort and adds to the prognostic value of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, which is currently the most extensively studied biomarker of CVD. Measurement of serum LCN2 might be useful for early detection and intervention of CVD