Association of oxidative stress and paraoxonase status with PROCAM risk score

Oxidative stress and paraoxonase activity play a significant role in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease (CVD). The Prospective Cardiovascular Münster (PROCAM) study evaluated the prevalence of CVD risk factors and postulated the prediction of future CVD events. We therefore investigated the association between plasma markers of oxidative stress and paraoxonase status with PROCAM risk score.

Oxidative stress status parameters [lipid peroxidation measured as thiobarbituric acid-reacting substances (TBARS), superoxide anion (O(2)(-)), superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, total sulphydryl group content] and paraoxonase (PON1) status were assessed in 211 participants. The predicted 10-year risk was calculated according to the PROCAM algorithm.

As expected subjects with high PROCAM risk score (high CVD risk) had significantly higher concentrations of oxidative stress parameters (TBARS and O(2)(-)P<0.001 and P<0.05, respectively). The PON1(192) phenotype distribution among CVD risk groups was not significantly different. Logistic regression analyses revealed significant associations of all the examined oxidative stress status parameters with calculated CVD risk score. The potential of the parameters for CVD risk prediction was tested via multivariate analysis. Only the O(2)(-) level retained a strong association with high CVD risk.

Our study demonstrated that high PROCAM risk score is associated with increased oxidative stress, indicating for the first time that elevated O(2)(-) is independently associated with high CVD risk.