Chemerin is a recently discovered adipokine with inflammatory and metabolic
actions relevant for chronic disease development. However, evidence from human
research on the role of chemerin in chronic disease risk is still lacking. We
assessed the reliability of plasma chemerin concentrations measured on two
occasions over a 4-month period in 207 apparently healthy participants. In
addition, we explored the cross-sectional associations between chemerin and
inflammatory biomarkers using Spearman partial correlation and multivariable
linear regression analyses. Intra-individual reproducibility of chemerin
measurements was assessed by calculating intraclass correlation coefficients
(ICCs) and exploration of Bland–Altman plots. Reliability analyses revealed
good reproducibility of chemerin measurements (ICC: 0.72 (95%-CI 0.65, 0.78)).
Visual inspection of Bland–Altman plots confirmed that the two time point
measurements had a high level of agreement. In correlation analyses, chemerin
was positively correlated with adiposity measures (body mass index and waist
circumference). In addition, independent of adiposity measures, chemerin was
correlated with the biomarkers C-reactive protein, fatty acid-binding protein
4 and progranulin (Rho-s ranging from 0.23 to 0.37). In multivariable linear
regression analysis, a combination of correlated factors including body mass
index, waist circumference, C-reactive protein, progranulin and fatty acid-
binding protein-4 explained 28.0% of chemerin concentrations. These findings
demonstrate methodological utility of chemerin concentrations in population-
based research setting. Human studies are highly warranted in order to provide
further insights into the role of chemerin as a biomarker linking immunity and
metabolism in relation to chronic disease risk