Male Sex Synergistically Interacts With Serum Corin On Metabolic Syndrome In Chinese Adults

Background: Metabolic syndrome is a key modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD). We previously found an increased level of serum corin in some metabolic disorders, such as diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and obesity. However, the association between serum corin and metabolic syndrome has not yet been studied in humans. Methods: We examined serum soluble corin using immunoassays for 2,498 Chinese adults free of CVD. Metabolic syndrome was defined as ≥ 3 components of the 5 metabolic abnormalities - raised blood pressure, increased triglycerides, reduced high density lipoprotein cholesterol, hyperglycemia, and central obesity. Logistic regression model was applied to examine the association of serum corin with metabolic syndrome adjusting for age, smoking, and drinking in men and women, respectively. Results: The mean age was 53 ± 9 years. Serum corin was significantly increased in participants with metabolic syndrome in both men (mean: 2457.8 vs . 2126.6 pg/mL, P < 0.001) and women (mean: 1607.4 vs . 1515.2 pg/mL, P < 0.001) compared with those without metabolic syndrome. Serum corin was significantly associated with metabolic syndrome in both genders but this association appeared stronger in men (OR = 1.69, 95%CI: 4.16-1.96, P < 0.001) than women (OR = 1.19, 95%CI: 1.06-1.33, P = 0.003). The OR of metabolic syndrome for participants with male sex and high corin (> median) was higher than the sum of ORs for those with either male sex or high corin only. About 42% (95%CI: 0.240-0.598) of metabolic syndrome risk could be attributed to the interaction between male sex and high corin. Conclusions: Serum corin is significantly and positively associated with metabolic syndrome and its individual components in Chinese adults. Male sex could synergistically interact with Corin on metabolic syndrome. The relationship between serum corin and metabolic syndrome warrants further investigation.