Protective effect of lipid microspheres 1 on myocardial injury following elective percutaneous coronary intervention in patients with angina pectoris: a pilot study

Prostaglandin E1 incorporated into lipid microspheres (lipo-PGE1) is effective in the treatment of peripheral vascular disorders and diabetic neuropathy. It is unknown whether it has protective effects in patients with angina pectoris undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).

The goal of this pilot study was to investigate whether lipo-PGE1 has protective effects in patients with angina pectoris undergoing PCI.

A single-blinded, randomized controlled trial was conducted in 79 patients with stable or unstable angina pectoris. The control group received standard medical therapy, and the Lipo-PGE1 group (n = 40) received 20 μg/day of lipo-PGE1 intravenously, starting at least 48 h before PCI and continuing for 5 days. Cardiac troponin T (cTnT) and creatine kinase myocardial isoenzyme (CK-MB) were measured before lipo-PGE1 infusion and at 6, 12 and 24 h after PCI.

The cTnT and CK-MB concentrations were lower in the lipo-PGE1 group than in the control group at 6 h (0.15 ± 0.33 vs. 0.43 ± 0.77; 2.87 ± 3.99 vs. 5.64 ± 6.27, respectively; P < 0.05), 12 h (0.20 ± 0.48 vs. 0.54 ± 0.85; 3.58 ± 5.22 vs. 7.45 ± 9.48; P <  0.05) and 24 h (0.18 ± 0.50 vs. 0.50 ± 0.75; 3.15 ± 4.50 vs. 6.16 ± 6.83; P < 0.05). The incidence of postprocedural myocardial injury, defined as an elevation of cTnT more than 0.1 ng/ml or CK-MB more than 5.0 ng/ml, was less in the PGE1 group than in the control group (30 vs. 54%; 13 vs. 31%, respectively; P < 0.05). Lipo-PGE1 was well tolerated and there were no serious adverse events or side-effects.

Lipo-PGE1 treatment appears to reduce myocardial injury following elective PCI in angina patients.