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Coronary Progenitor Cells and Soluble Biomarkers in Cardiovascular Prognosis after Coronary Angioplasty
Published on: January 28, 2020
[Associations between the plasma inflammatory markers and plaque morphologies of coronary artery lesions]
Xian Wang1, Da-Yi Hu, Shi-Wei Yang
1Heart Centre of Beijing Army General Hospital, Beijing 100700, China. wx0515@hotmail.com
Insights
Coronary artery plaque vulnerability can be assessed using coronary angiography (CAG), intravascular ultrasound (IVUS), and plasma inflammatory markers. Elevated levels of MMP-2, MMP-9, and PAPP-A indicate higher risk, aiding in vulnerability judgment.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Biomarkers
- Vascular Biology
Background:
- Coronary artery plaque vulnerability is a key determinant of acute coronary syndromes (ACS).
- Accurate assessment of plaque vulnerability is crucial for risk stratification and treatment strategies.
- Current diagnostic methods may benefit from integration with inflammatory marker analysis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the combined utility of coronary angiography (CAG), intravascular ultrasound (IVUS), and plasma inflammatory markers in assessing coronary artery plaque vulnerability.
- To correlate angiographic and intravascular ultrasound findings with plasma levels of specific inflammatory mediators.
- To differentiate plaque characteristics and inflammatory profiles between patients with different lesion types and clinical presentations.
Main Methods:
- 58 patients with single-vessel lesions were categorized into lesion types I, II, and III based on CAG morphology.
- A control group of 17 stable angina patients was included.
- A subgroup of 28 patients underwent IVUS; plasma levels of hs-CRP, MMP-2, MMP-9, CD40L, and PAPP-A were measured via ELISA.
Main Results:
- Plasma levels of MMP-2, MMP-9, and PAPP-A were significantly higher in the type II lesion group.
- Positive correlations were observed between MMP-2, MMP-9, CD40L, PAPP-A, and hs-CRP in the type II lesion group.
- IVUS revealed larger plaque area, higher plaque burden, increased incidence of high-risk plaques, and greater remodeling index in ACS patients compared to controls, accompanied by elevated plasma hs-CRP, MMP-2, MMP-9, and PAPP-A.
Conclusions:
- CAG and IVUS are valuable tools for evaluating coronary artery plaque vulnerability.
- Plasma levels of inflammatory mediators, including MMP-2, MMP-9, and PAPP-A, are associated with plaque vulnerability.
- The combination of imaging techniques and biomarker analysis provides a comprehensive approach to judging coronary plaque vulnerability.
Objective:
To evaluate the vulnerability of coronary artery plaque with coronary angiography (CAG), intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) and the levels of plasma inflammatory markers.
Methods:
58 consecutive patients with lesion of a single blood vessel demonstrated successfully by CAG were randomly divided into 3 groups based on the angiographic morphology of the the lesions: type I lesion group (n = 16), type II lesion group (n = 25), type III lesion group (n = 17). Meantime, a control group of stable angina (n = 17) was established. A subgroup of 28 patients (including 18 acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients and 10 stable angina control patients) who underwent IVUS study were analyzed. Then the plasma levels of high sensitivity CRP (hs-CRP), matrix metalloproteinase (MMP, including MMP-2 and MMP-9), CD(40) ligand (CD(40)L) and pregnancy associated plasma protein-A (PAPP-A) were measured with ELISA. Analyses were performed by statistical package SPSS 11.0.
Results:
The plasma levels of MMP-2, MMP-9 and PAPP-A in type II lesion group were significantly higher than the other groups (P < 0.05, 0.05, 0.001, respectively). In type II lesion group, linear correlation analysis manifested significantly positive correlation between levels of hs-CRP and MMP-2 (r = 0.508); MMP-2 and MMP-9, CD(40)L, PAPP-A (r = 0.647, 0.704, 0.751, respectively); MMP-9 and CD(40)L, PAPP-A (r = 0.491, 0.639, respectively); CD(40)L and PAPP-A (r = 0.896). IVUS subgroup analysis showed that the area of plaques and plaques burden in culprit lesion, the incidence of high-risk plaques, remodeling index (RI) and positive remodeling percentage in ACS patients were significantly greater than those in the control group (P = 0.000, 0.037, 0.028, 0.015, 0.040, respectively). Compared with the control group, the plasma levels of hs-CRP, MMP-2, MMP-9 and PAPP-A were markedly elevated (P = 0.033, 0.000, 0.000, 0.027, respectively).
Conclusions:
CAG and IVUS combined with the study on plasma levels of inflammation mediators were helpful in judging the vulnerability of coronary artery plaques.
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