Plasma proteins associated with cardiovascular death in patients with chronic coronary heart disease: A retrospective...

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Medicine
• Biomarker Discovery
• Proteomics

Background:

• Circulating biomarkers reflect pathophysiological pathways and organ dysfunction in coronary heart disease (CHD).
• Understanding these biomarkers is crucial for predicting cardiovascular (CV) death and its complications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore associations between 157 CV and inflammatory biomarkers and CV death in patients with chronic CHD.
• To identify novel biomarkers for predicting CV mortality.

Main Methods:

• Utilized proximity extension assays (PEA) to measure 157 biomarkers in two cohorts: STABILITY and LURIC.
• Employed Random Survival Forest and Cox regression analyses to evaluate associations with CV death.
• Validated findings through Boruta analyses and statistical significance testing.

Main Results:

• Identified 18 biomarkers with independent associations with CV death (p < 0.0001).
• N-terminal prohormone of brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) and high-sensitivity troponin T (cTnT-hs) showed the strongest prognostic value.
• Other significant biomarkers include GDF-15, TIM-1, renin, OPG, sST2, Cys-C, TRAIL-R2, CA-125, BNP, IL-6, HGF, spondin-1, FGF-23, CHI3L1, TNF-R1, and AM.

Conclusions:

• Profiles of multiple plasma proteins can identify distinct pathophysiological pathways linked to increased CV death risk in chronic CHD patients.
• These findings may enhance risk prediction models for cardiovascular mortality.