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Updated: Jan 26, 2026
Isolation and Analysis of Plasma Lipoproteins by Ultracentrifugation
Published on: January 28, 2021
Analysis of S100A12 plasma levels in hyperlipidemic subjects with or without familial hypercholesterolemia
Roberto Scicali1, Antonino Di Pino1, Francesca Urbano1
1Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Internal Medicine, Garibaldi Hospital, University of Catania, Via Palermo, 636 95122, Catania, Italy.
Insights
Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) patients show elevated S100A12 protein levels and increased pulse wave velocity (PWV) compared to non-FH individuals. S100A12 is a potential biomarker for vascular inflammation in FH.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Medicine
- Immunology
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Inflammation links hypercholesterolemia and atherosclerosis.
- Biomarkers can help define atherosclerotic burden in high cholesterol conditions like familial hypercholesterolemia (FH).
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate S100A12 protein concentration in FH patients.
- To assess the association between S100A12 and pulse wave velocity (PWV) in FH.
Main Methods:
- Compared 39 FH patients with 39 hypercholesterolemic non-FH subjects on statin treatment.
- Measured S100A12, sRAGE, esRAGE, and PWV, alongside glucose and lipid profiles.
Main Results:
- FH patients had significantly higher S100A12 plasma levels (p < 0.01).
- FH patients exhibited higher PWV (p < 0.05) compared to non-FH subjects.
- S100A12 was independently correlated with age, genetic mutation, and PWV (p < 0.001).
Conclusions:
- Familial hypercholesterolemia patients have elevated S100A12 levels.
- A novel vascular inflammation pathway involving S100A12 may help characterize cardiovascular risk beyond hs-CRP.
Aims:
Inflammation is a key regulatory process that links hypercholesterolemia and immune mechanisms promoting atherosclerosis. Inflammatory biomarkers may be helpful to better define the atherosclerotic burden in patients with high cholesterol levels such as familial hypercholesterolemia (FH). Our aim was to evaluate the concentration of S100A12 protein in FH patients and its association with pulse wave velocity (PWV).
Methods:
We measured glucose and lipid profile, S100A12, sRAGE, esRAGE and PWV in 39 patients with a genetically confirmed diagnosis of FH and 39 hypercholesterolemic subjects without a clinical diagnosis of FH (Dutch score ≤ 3). All subjects were on statin treatment at the time of the enrollment.
Results:
No difference of glucose and lipid profile was found in the two groups. FH patients had higher S100A12 plasma levels than non-FH subjects (12.87 ± 4.82 vs. 8.57 ± 4.87 ng/mL, p < 0.01). No difference of hs-CRP, sRAGE and esRAGE was found between the two groups. Also, PWV was higher in FH patients than non-FH subjects (8.63 ± 0.92 vs. 6.68 ± 0.73 m/s, p < 0.05). Finally, S100A12 was independently correlated with age (p < 0.01), genetic mutation (p < 0.01) and PWV (p < 0.001).
Conclusions:
FH patients exhibited higher S100A12 levels than non-FH subjects. A novel vascular inflammation pathway, other than hs-CRP, might be useful to better characterize cardiovascular risk profile.
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