Significant decrease of von Willebrand factor and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 by providing supplementation with...

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Research
• Biomarker Analysis
• Nutritional Science

Background:

• Endothelial dysfunction and inflammation are key drivers of atherosclerosis and ischemic heart disease.
• Previous research indicated reduced cardiovascular mortality in elderly individuals with low selenium status after 4 years of selenium and coenzyme Q10 supplementation.
• The study investigates the impact of this supplementation on specific markers of endothelial function.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the association between selenium and coenzyme Q10 supplementation and plasma concentrations of von Willebrand factor (vWf) and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1).
• To assess the effect of the intervention on endothelial function markers in elderly individuals with low selenium status.

Main Methods:

• A sub-study included 308 elderly individuals (157 active substance, 151 placebo).
• Blood samples were collected at 6 and 36 months, with vWf and PAI-1 measured via ELISA.
• Statistical analyses included T tests, repeated measures of variance, and ANCOVA.

Main Results:

• The active treatment group showed significantly lower vWf levels at 36 months compared to placebo (1.08 U/mL vs. 5.10 U/mL, p=0.0007).
• PAI-1 levels also significantly decreased in the active group versus placebo (26.2 ng/mL vs. 49.2 ng/mL, p=0.0002).
• Results were validated using repeated measures of variance.

Conclusions:

• Selenium and coenzyme Q10 supplementation led to significantly lower plasma levels of vWf and PAI-1 in elderly participants.
• These findings suggest improved endothelial function as a result of the intervention.
• This supports previous observations of reduced cardiovascular mortality in the supplemented group.