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Updated: May 31, 2026

A Methodological Approach to Non-invasive Assessments of Vascular Function and Morphology
Published on: February 7, 2015
Correlation between heat-shock protein 27 serum concentration and common carotid intima-media thickness in
Amir Hooshang Mohammadpour1, Fatemeh Nazemian, Seyed Adel Moallem
1Department of Pharmacodynamics and Toxicology, School of Pharmacy, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
Insights
Heat shock protein 27 (HSP27) may serve as a cardiovascular disease biomarker in hemodialysis patients. Lower HSP27 levels correlated with increased carotid intima-media thickness in hypertensive patients.
Area of Science:
- Nephrology
- Cardiology
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Cardiovascular disease (CVD) significantly impacts hemodialysis patient mortality.
- Reduced heat shock protein 27 (HSP27) levels are observed in patients with CVD.
- HSP27 is expressed in human and animal atherosclerotic plaques.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the correlation between serum HSP27 concentration and common carotid intima-media thickness (CCIMT).
- To explore HSP27's potential as a biomarker for cardiovascular disease in hemodialysis patients.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional study involving 42 hemodialysis patients.
- Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for plasma HSP27 measurement.
- High-resolution B-mode ultrasonography for CCIMT assessment.
Main Results:
- An inverse significant correlation (r = -0.61, P = .02) was found between serum HSP27 and CCIMT.
- This correlation was specific to patients with hypertension as their sole cardiovascular risk factor.
Conclusions:
- Circulating HSP27 concentration shows potential as a marker for cardiovascular events.
- Further research may validate HSP27's role in predicting CVD in hemodialysis populations.
Introduction:
Cardiovascular disease is a major factor in the deterioration of the health and the death of hemodialysis patients. Previous studies have mainly shown a decreased level of heat shock protein 27 (HSP27) in patients with cardiovascular disease. We conducted this study to investigate whether HSP27 correlates with common carotid intima-media thickness (CCIMT) and if it has a potential to be a biomarker for cardiovascular disease.
Materials And Methods:
In this cross-sectional study, the correlation between HSP27 serum concentration and CCIMT was investigated in 42 hemodialysis patients. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method was used to measure HSP27 level in the plasma of the patients, and a high-resolution B-mode ultrasonography was applied to measure CCIMT.
Results:
There was an inverse significant correlation between serum concentration of HSP27 and CCIMT only in patients that had hypertension as their only cardiovascular risk factor (r = - 0.61, P = .02).
Conclusions:
According to our results and the fact that HSP27 has been shown to be expressed in atherosclerotic plaques of both experimental animals and humans, we suggest that circulatory HSP27 concentration has a potential of being used as a marker for cardiovascular events.
