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Updated: May 27, 2026
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Published on: June 12, 2019
Patients with CD36 deficiency are associated with enhanced atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases
Miyako Yuasa-Kawase1, Daisaku Masuda, Taiji Yamashita
1Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan.
Insights
CD36 deficiency (CD36-D) is unexpectedly linked to higher coronary artery disease (CAD) risks. Patients with CD36-D show increased CAD morbidity and severe atherosclerosis, suggesting CD36-D may be atherogenic.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Science
- Metabolic Disease Research
- Immunology and Atherosclerosis
Background:
- CD36 deficiency (CD36-D) was hypothesized to reduce coronary artery disease (CAD) risk due to impaired oxidized LDL uptake.
- However, CD36-D patients often exhibit a cluster of coronary risk factors, prompting further investigation.
Observation:
- This study investigated cardiovascular disease (CVD) morbidity and severity in CD36-D patients.
- Methods included FACS screening and 123I-BMIPP scintigraphy to identify CD36-D and assess CAD.
- The study screened 40 CD36-D patients, 319 CAD patients, and 1,239 healthy subjects.
Findings:
- CAD morbidity was significantly higher in CD36-D patients (50% by scintigraphy) compared to the general population.
- The frequency of CD36-D was three times greater in CAD patients (0.9%) than in healthy individuals (0.3%).
- Three representative CD36-D cases presented with severe CAD and atherosclerosis.
Implications:
- CD36-D is significantly associated with increased CAD morbidity and severe atherosclerosis.
- These findings suggest that CD36 deficiency may play an atherogenic role.
- Further research into CD36's role in cardiovascular health is warranted.
Aim:
The clustering of dyslipidemia, impaired glucose tolerance and hypertension increases the morbidity and mortality from cardiovascular events. A class B scavenger receptor, CD36, is a receptor for oxidized LDL and a transporter of long-chain fatty acids. Because of the impaired uptake of oxidized LDL in CD36-deficient macrophages and from the results of CD36 knockout mice, CD36 deficiency (CD36-D) was supposed to be associated with reduced risks for coronary artery disease (CAD); however, CD36-D patients are often accompanied by a clustering of coronary risk factors. The current study aimed to investigate the morbidity and severity of cardiovascular diseases in CD36-D patients.
Methods:
By screening for CD36 antigen on platelets and monocytes using FACS or the absent myocardial accumulation of 123I-BMIPP by scintigraphy, 40 patients with type I CD36-D were collected, the morbidity of CAD and their features of atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases were observed. Screening for CD36-D in both CAD patients (n = 319) and healthy subjects (n = 1,239) were underwent.
Results:
The morbidity of CAD was significantly higher in CD36-D patients than in the general population; 50% of patients (20 out of 40) had CAD identified by BMIPP scintigraphy and 37.5% (3 out of 8) by FACS screening, respectively. Three representative CD36-D cases demonstrated severe CAD and atherosclerosis. The frequency of CD36-D was three times higher in CAD patients than in healthy subjects (0.9% vs 0.3%, p < 0.0001).
Conclusion:
The morbidity of CAD is significantly higher in CD36-D patients suffering from severe atherosclerosis, implying that the status of CD36-D might be atherogenic.
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