Background:

The menopause stage involves a significant reduction in circulating estrogen levels, resulting in notable changes to the cardiovascular, metabolic, bone, and immune systems. Monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) is strongly associated with cardiovascular diseases and obesity. However, it is crucial to establish and clarify the relationship between MCP-1 and metabolic parameters in postmenopausal women.

Objective:

The objective of this study was to assess the relationship between MCP-1 concentrations and various anthropometric and metabolic markers in premenopausal and postmenopausal women.

Material and methods:

A case–control study, including 82 women (41 in postmenopausal stage, and 41 in premenopausal stage), was matched by body mass index (BMI). Insulin, estradiol, and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels were quantified by chemiluminescence and MCP-1 by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays.

Results:

Age was 46.3 ± 2.4 years in premenopausal women and 55.6 ± 5.1 years in postmenopausal women. The MCP-1 level was higher in post-menopausal than premenopausal women (28.7 ± 10.4 vs. 21.3 ± 16.3 pg/mL, p = 0.04). The MCP-1 correlated with BMI (r = 0.39, p = 0.0001), waist circumference (r = 0.34, p = 0.002), CRP (r = 0.33, p = 0.03), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (r = −0.28, p = 0.02), and visceral adipose tissue (VAT) (r = 0.38, p = 0.0001). Multiple stepwise regression analysis showed that VAT influenced the MCP-1 level.

Conclusion:

Menopausal status influences MCP-1 concentrations; however, the relationship of MCP-1 with VAT favors the activation of inflammatory mechanisms, outweighing the effects of hormonal status.