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Local atherosclerotic plaques are a source of prognostic biomarkers for adverse cardiovascular events

Dominique P V de Kleijn1, Frans L Moll, Willem E Hellings

  • 1Experimental Cardiology (G02523), UMC, Heidelberglaan 100, 3584 CX, Utrecht, the Netherlands.

Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology
|December 19, 2009
PubMed

Insights

Osteopontin levels in atherosclerotic plaques predict future cardiovascular events across all vascular territories. This discovery offers a novel prognostic biomarker for systemic atherosclerotic disease.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiovascular Medicine
  • Biomarker Discovery
  • Proteomics

Background:

  • Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease poses a significant healthcare challenge.
  • Atherosclerosis is a systemic condition, suggesting localized plaques may hold broader predictive information.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate if molecular information within a single atherosclerotic plaque can predict future cardiovascular events in all vascular territories.
  • To identify novel prognostic biomarkers for systemic atherosclerotic disease.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized the AtheroExpress biobank, collecting atherosclerotic lesions with 3-year follow-up data.
  • Employed proteomics to identify osteopontin as a potential plaque biomarker.
  • Examined osteopontin levels in carotid surgery patients (n=574) and validated findings in femoral endarterectomy patients (n=151).

Main Results:

  • Elevated osteopontin levels in carotid plaques were strongly associated with future cardiovascular events (HR 3.8).
  • This association remained significant after adjusting for plaque characteristics and traditional risk factors (HR 3.5).
  • Validation in the femoral cohort confirmed the predictive value of osteopontin (HR 3.8).

Conclusions:

  • Single atherosclerotic plaques contain prognostic biomarkers, specifically osteopontin.
  • Plaque osteopontin levels predict cardiovascular events in other vascular territories, highlighting their utility for assessing secondary disease manifestations.
Abstract

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