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Published on: August 28, 2018
Elevated IL-37 levels in the plasma of patients with severe coronary artery calcification
Meng Chai1, Hai-Tao Zhang2, Yu-Jie Zhou1
1Department of Cardiology, Beijing Anzhen Hospital, Capital Medical University; Beijing Institute of Heart, Lung and Blood Vessel Disease, the Key Laboratory of Remodelling-related Cardiovascular Disease, Ministry of Education, Beijing, China.
Insights
Interleukin-37 (IL-37) levels were significantly increased in patients with severe coronary artery calcification (CAC), suggesting IL-37 may predict severe CAC. Further research is needed to confirm IL-37 as a predictor of cardiovascular events.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Disease Research
- Inflammation and Immunology
Background:
- Coronary artery calcification (CAC) predicts cardiovascular events and is linked to chronic inflammation.
- Interleukin-37 (IL-37), an anti-inflammatory cytokine, has shown potential in attenuating atherosclerosis in mouse models.
- This study investigated the role of IL-37 in the progression of CAC in human patients.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the association between plasma levels of Interleukin-37 (IL-37) and the severity of coronary artery calcification (CAC) in patients.
- To explore IL-37 as a potential biomarker for severe CAC.
Main Methods:
- Two hundred participants with suspected cardiovascular disease were enrolled.
- Plasma IL-37, osteoprotegerin (OPG), and hsCRP levels were measured.
- Coronary calcium assessment was performed using multi-detector row CT, categorizing CAC severity.
Main Results:
- Plasma IL-37 levels showed no significant difference in mild or moderate CAC.
- Significantly increased IL-37 levels were observed in patients with severe CAC (P < 0.001).
- A positive correlation was found between IL-37 levels and severe CAC (r = 0.360, P < 0.001).
Conclusions:
- The anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-37 is associated with high coronary calcium levels.
- Elevated IL-37 expression may indicate inflammation activation in severe CAC.
- IL-37 warrants further investigation as a potential predictor of severe CAC.
Background:
Coronary artery calcification (CAC) is a predictor of cardiovascular events and plaque burden and is closely associated with chronic inflammation. Interleukin (IL)-37 is a newly discovered member of the IL-1 family and is considered an anti-inflammatory cytokine. Our recent study on mice indicated that IL-37 could attenuate atherosclerosis and vascular calcification, which suggests that IL-37 could be associated with the development of atherosclerosis and related diseases. The aim of this study was to investigate if IL-37 plays a role in the progression of CAC in patients.
Methods:
Two hundred participants with suspected cardiovascular disease were recruited. The levels of plasma IL-37, osteoprotegerin (OPG), hypersensitive C-reactive protein (hsCRP) together with other biochemical parameters were measured, and a coronary calcium assessment was carried out by multi-detector row CT. A score of < 10 AU (Agatston units) denotes an absence of CAC, a score of 11-100 AU denotes mild CAC, 101-400 denotes moderate CAC, and > 400 AU denotes severe CAC.
Results:
Our initial data showed that there were no apparent differences in plasma IL-37 levels among patients with or without mild or moderate CAC. However, IL-37 levels were significantly increased in patients with severe CAC (P < 0.001). Similar results were observed for plasma OPG and hsCRP levels. When IL-37 levels in patients with severe calcification were compared with that in all of the other non-severe CAC groups, it became apparent that there was a significant positive correlation between IL-37 level and severe CAC (r = 0.360, P < 0.001; OR = 1.033) using Spearman's correlation and binary logistic regression analysis.
Conclusions:
This study demonstrates that the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-37 is associated with high coronary calcium levels, suggesting that IL-37 expression may be caused by the activation of inflammation and that IL-37 might become a predictor of severe CAC in the future, which requires further investigation.
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