Correlation of circulating ANGPTL5 levels with obesity, high sensitivity C-reactive protein and oxidized low-density lipoprotein in adolescents

Angiopoietin-like proteins (ANGPTL) is a family of eight members known to play an important role in metabolic diseases. Of these, ANGPTL5 is suggested to regulate triglyceride metabolism and is increased in obesity and diabetes. However, its role in metabolic diseases in adolescents is not well-studied. In this study, we tested the hypothesis of a positive association between plasma ANGPTL5, and obesity, high sensitivity C-reactive protein (HsCRP) and oxidized low-density lipoprotein (Ox-LDL) in adolescents. Adolescents (N=431; age 11-14 years) were randomly selected from middle schools in Kuwait. Obesity was classified by the BMI-for-age based on the WHO growth charts. Plasma ANGPTL5, HsCRP, and Ox-LDL were measured using ELISA. The prevalence of overweight and obesity was 20.65% and 33.18%, respectively. Mean (SD) plasma ANGPTL5 levels were significantly higher in obese, compared with overweight and normal-weight adolescents (23.05 (8.79) vs 18.39 (7.08) ng/mL, and 18.26 (6.95) ng/ml, respectively). ANGPTL5 was positively associated with both HsCRP (rho=0.27, p<0.001) and Ox-LDL (rho=0.24, p<0.001). In Conclusion, ANGPTL5 levels are elevated in obese adolescents and are associated with cardiovascular disease risk factors, HsCRP and Ox-LDL. The use of ANGPTL5 as a powerful diagnostic and prognostic tool in obesity and metabolic diseases needs to be further evaluated.