To investigate the relationship between serum chemerin levels and metabolic indicators in prehypertensive men.

A total of 198 men aged from 30 to 60 who participated in the physical examinations were selected as study subjects. According to the blood pressure, they were divided into three groups: normal group (66), prehypertension group (69) and hypertension group (63). The changes in serum chemerin levels were compared between groups and their correlation with metabolic indicators such as blood sugar, lipids, blood pressure, and insulin resistance were analyzed.

The levels of chemerin were significantly different among the three groups (P<0.05). Serum chemerin levels in the prehypertension group [(41.44±2.28) ng/L] and hypertension group [(46.80±6.08) ng/L] were higher than that of the normal group [(33.10±2.47) ng/L], and serum chemerin level in the hypertension group was notably higher than that of the prehypertension group. Spearman correlation analysis revealed that the change of waist circumferenc and serum chemerin level in the prehypertension and hypertension groups was positively correlated (prehypertension group: r=0.275, P=0.022; hypertension group: r=0.550, P<0.001), and the insulin resistance index in the hypertension group (r=0.457, P<0.001) correlated positively with the change of serum chemerin level.

Serum chemerin level notably increases as the blood pressure increases and positively correlates with obesity and insulin resistance, suggesting that serum chemerin may be one of the important initiators in the progression from prehypertension to hypertension.