Homocysteine is related to aortic mineralization in patients with ischemic heart disease

Homocysteine is implicated as an early atherosclerotic promoter, which enhances the smooth muscle cell proliferation and produces free radicals that induce cellular damage. These factors must have a role in the progression of atherosclerosis that subsequently leads to vascular mineralization.

Identify a correlation between the plasma concentration of total homocysteine and the amount of minerals that accumulate in the aorta of patients with atherosclerosis.

We performed a cross-sectional study in 13 patients with three-vessel coronary artery disease, undergoing coronary artery bypass surgery. Aortic and mammary artery specimens were analyzed using a scanning electron microscope with an energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer. The homocysteine was determined using an immunonephelometry method.

The amount of minerals in the aorta was greater (300 ± 181.6 particles per 500 µm2 than that in the mammary artery (64 ± 45 particles per 500 µm2 (p < 0.01). The average tHcy was 9.5 ± 2.3 µmol/L. The Spearman's rank correlation coefficient was positive between tHcy, and aortic iron (p < 0.05).

Our study demonstrates that the aorta is dramatically affected by mineralization compared to the mammary artery. In addition, a direct correlation was identified between the levels of tHcy and the iron particles in the aortic wall.