Association between Leukocyte Cell-Derived Chemotaxin 2 and Metabolic and Renal Diseases in a Geriatric Population: A Pilot Study

Abstract

LECT2 is not a routine diagnostic marker for any disease, but it has been associated with many pathologies, including systemic amyloidosis, rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes, atherosclerosis, and metabolic syndrome. With human aortic sections (n = 22) and sera from geriatric subjects (n = 79), we analyzed the relationships that could be observed between this protein and other parameters related to metabolic diseases. As a result, we observed a relatively high (r~0.8, p < 0.05) positive correlation between SRA and LECT2 and a negative correlation between EGFR and LECT2 (r~−0.4, p < 0.05). We observed LECT2 expression in macrophages, myocytes, and other aortic cells, with a tendency to be overexpressed in developed atherosclerotic plaques. We conclude that LECT2 exerts its chemotactic effects not only as a protein synthesized in the liver and secreted and circulating in the blood but also as a locally expressed protein within atherosclerotic plaque development. The LECT2-EGFR correlation suggests an association of this protein with loss of normal renal function. This fact can be associated with LECT2 amyloidosis, although it should be verified whether in the geriatric population there is indeed a widespread accumulation of LECT2 with the progression of aging or whether it is rather a marker of general deterioration of renal function.