Platelet-Derived Growth Factor Predicts Vulnerable Plaque in Patients with Non-ST Elevation Acute Coronary Syndrome

Identifying a novel biomarker may contribute to detection of vulnerable plaque in patients with non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndrome (NSTE-ACS). The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between serum platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) and vulnerable plaque in patients with moderate and low risk of NSTE-ACS.

A total of 65 moderate- and low-risk NSTE-ACS patients with 50-90% coronary stenosis were divided into a vulnerable plaque group (n=46) and a stable plaque group (n=19) according to intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) examinations. Total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and serum PDGF were measured. Plaque characteristics and components were analyzed using gray-scale and iMap-IVUS. Correlation was performed between plaque characteristics and ACS markers. Logistic regression analysis was applied to determine risk factors. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to evaluate the predictive value.

Patients with vulnerable plaque had visible higher levels of TG, LDL-C and PDGF (P < 0.05). There were significant differences in minimal lumen area (MLA), plaque area, plaque burden, fibrotic (FI), clipidic (LI) and necrotic core (NC) between the two groups (P < 0.05). PDGF was weakly correlated with plaque burden (R = 0.428, P < 0.05), as well as moderately correlated with NC (R = 0.669, P < 0.05). Multivariate analysis showed that serum PDGF (OR 4.751, [95% CI 1.534-9.543], P = 0.05) was an independent risk factor of vulnerable plaque. The area under the curve (AUC) was 0.876 (95% CI 0.804-0.948, P=0.001).

Serum PDGF could potentially predict vulnerable plaque in moderate and low risk of NSTE-ACS patients.