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Updated: Nov 14, 2025
Pulse Wave Velocity Testing in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging
Published on: February 7, 2014
IGFBP-1 and IGFBP-2 are associated with a decreased pulse-wave velocity in young, healthy adults
Paul Pettersson-Pablo1,2,3, Torbjörn K Nilsson4, Lars H Breimer5,6
1Department of Laboratory Medicine, Clinical Chemistry, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Örebro University Hospital, Södra Grevrosengatan 1, 703 62, Örebro, Sweden. paul.pettersson-pablo@regionorebrolan.se.
Insights
Cardiovascular disease proteins, including IGFBP-1 and IGFBP-2, correlate with vascular stiffness in young adults. These findings suggest potential protective effects on vascular health, even in early life stages.
Area of Science:
- Proteomics
- Cardiovascular Science
- Vascular Biology
Background:
- Cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors are typically assessed in older adults, but early atherosclerotic processes can begin in young adulthood.
- Identifying early biomarkers of vascular health in young, healthy individuals is crucial for preventative strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify plasma proteins associated with early signs of atherosclerosis in healthy young adults.
- To investigate the relationship between specific proteins and vascular health markers like pulse-wave velocity (PWV), augmentation index (AIX), and carotid-intima media thickness (cIMT).
Main Methods:
- Utilized Olink's proximity extension assay to analyze 92 CVD-related proteins in 833 healthy young adults (ages 18-26).
- Assessed vascular health through PWV, AIX, and cIMT measurements.
- Employed principal component analysis (PCA) for protein expression analysis and multivariable models for correlations, adjusting for established CVD risk biomarkers.
Main Results:
- One principal component derived from protein expression significantly correlated with PWV, explaining 6% of the variance.
- Insulin-like growth factor-binding protein 1 (IGFBP-1) and insulin-like growth factor-binding protein 2 (IGFBP-2) independently and negatively correlated with PWV after adjusting for risk factors.
- Age was significantly and adversely correlated with all vascular measurements (PWV, AIX, cIMT).
Conclusions:
- Specific groups of CVD-related proteins are associated with vascular stiffness (PWV) in young adults, but not other markers like AIX or cIMT.
- IGFBP-1 and IGFBP-2 may play a beneficial role in maintaining vascular elasticity.
- The impact of aging on vascular health is detectable even in young, healthy populations, highlighting the importance of early monitoring.
Background And Aims:
In healthy, young adults we analyzed a panel of cardiovascular disease related proteins in plasma and compared them with the vascular health of the subjects. The aim was to identify proteins with a relationship to the early atherosclerotic process in healthy individuals.
Methods:
We employed the proximity extension assay from OLINK proteomics to analyze 92 cardiovascular disease (CVD) related proteins on 833 subjects (men and women, ages 18-26). The women were further divided into an estrogen-using group and non-users. Protein expression was analyzed using principal component analysis (PCA). The following vascular examinations were performed: Pulse-wave velocity (PWV), augmentation index (AIX), carotid-intima media thickness (cIMT).
Results:
Three principal components were obtained using PCA to analyze the protein expression. None of the obtained principal components correlated significantly with AIX or cIMT. One of the components, explaining 6% of the total variance of the data, was significantly correlated with PWV. Upon examination of the proteins with the highest factor loadings on this component independently in a multivariable model, adjusting for established CVD risk biomarkers, insulin-like growth factor-binding protein 1 (IGFBP-1) and insulin-like growth factor-binding protein 2 (IGFBP-2) were found to independently, negatively correlate with PWV. Among the established risk factors included in the multivariable model, age was significantly and adversely correlated with all vascular measurements.
Conclusions:
In this population of healthy, young adults, groups of CVD related proteins correlate with PWV, but not AIX or cIMT. This group of proteins, of which IGFBP-1 and IGFBP-2 were independently, negatively correlated in a multivariable model with PWV, could have benificial effects on vascular stiffness. The robust association between age and PWV, AIX and cIMT provide insight into the impact of aging on the vasculature, which is detectable even in a population of young, healthy, non-smoking individuals of ages spanning only 8 years.
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