Osteoprotegerin: A Promising Biomarker in the Metabolic Syndrome - New Perspectives

The metabolic syndrome (MS) is a cluster of cardio-metabolic alterations that has been known to increase the cardiovascular risk in these patients. The pathophysiological mechanisms underlying this observation remain unclear. In this context, osteoprotegerin (OPG) has emerged as a possible mechanism. The implication of OPG in cardiovascular disease and cardiovascular risk, the expression of this cytokine in different cells involved in the atheroma and the increased circulating concentration observed in these patients reinforce the hypothesis. In this manuscript, the clinical, the analytical and the cellular fields are studied in order to offer a wide perspective over the subject.