ACTA ENDOCRINOLOGICA (BUC)

Objectives. Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a cluster of metabolic abnormalities that is linked with increased circulating markers of oxidative stress and lowgrade inflammation. The link between inflammation and MetS is not yet fully understood. We aim to evaluate the relationship between the levels of pro and anti-inflammatory markers such as apolipoprotein A1 (Apo-A1), apolipoprotein B (Apo-B), interleukin (IL) 6, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), fibrinogen and complement component 3 (C3) and adiponectin and MetS/MetS components. Methods. This study was a case-control study conducted in an outpatient internal medicine clinic of the Ondokuz Mayıs University Internal Medicine Department. A total of 108 subjects (59 female, 49 male) who were not under any dietary restrictions and older than 17 years were selected and divided into two groups (54 with MetS and 54 healthy controls). Results. Increased levels of IL-6, C3 and Apo-B/ Apo-A1 ratios and decreased levels of Apo-A1 and TNF-α (except in patients with hypertriglyceridemia) were detected in the MetS group. Apo-A1 and TNF-α exhibited decreased levels, and IL-6, fibrinogen, C3 and Apo-B levels and Apo-B/Apo-A1 ratios increased as higher numbers of MetS criteria were met in the total study group. Conclusions. We found that inflammatory marker levels were not affected by an increased number of MetS criteria met in the MetS group although these levels increased in the control group with higher numbers of MetS components. The presence of a high number of MetS components does not have an additive pro-inflammatory contribution for subjects already diagnosed with MetS.