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Plasma Level of Stromal Cell-Derived Factor-1 Provides Insight Into Statin Response, But Not Into Left Ventricular
Hussam Murad1, Mohammed Qutub2
1Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Rabigh Campus, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Insights
Plasma Stromal cell-derived factor-1 (SDF-1) levels correlate with LDL-C and indicate statin therapy response in unstable angina patients. SDF-1 may serve as a biomarker for monitoring statin treatment and predicting cardiovascular risks.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Research
- Biomarker Discovery
- Internal Medicine
Background:
- Stromal cell-derived factor-1 (SDF-1) is a chemokine involved in atherogenesis and vascular repair.
- Dyslipidemia can reduce plasma SDF-1, impairing vascular function and increasing cardiovascular risk.
- Statin therapy is crucial for acute coronary syndrome management, regardless of LDL-C levels.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate associations between plasma SDF-1 levels and LDL-C, coronary disease severity, LVEF, and statin use in unstable angina (UA) patients.
- To explore SDF-1's potential as a biomarker for statin therapy response and cardiovascular risk prediction in UA.
Main Methods:
- 108 new UA patients were recruited, excluding those with prior myocardial infarction, cardiac issues, or infections.
- Demographic data, clinical features, disease severity, LVEF, plasma SDF-1, LDL-C, and troponin levels were assessed.
- Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used to evaluate SDF-1's diagnostic accuracy.
Main Results:
- Plasma SDF-1 showed a significant correlation with LDL-C but not with LVEF or peak troponin levels.
- SDF-1 levels were significantly lower in patients receiving statin therapy, irrespective of their LDL-C levels.
- ROC curve analysis indicated good accuracy for the SDF-1 test in distinguishing statin-treated patients.
Conclusions:
- Plasma SDF-1 levels are associated with LDL-C and statin therapy in severe UA.
- SDF-1 may serve as a valuable biomarker for monitoring statin therapy effectiveness and predicting adverse cardiovascular events in UA patients.
- Further longitudinal studies are warranted to confirm SDF-1's prognostic role in cardiovascular disease.
Background:
Stromal cell-derived factor-1 (SDF-1) is a chemokine that regulates atherogenesis, angiogenesis, and multiple physiological processes. Dyslipidemia can contribute to low plasma SDF-1 disturbing its vascular repair functions and elevating cardiovascular risk. Statin therapy is recommended for patients with acute coronary syndrome irrespective of low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) levels. This study aimed to evaluate the potential associations of plasma SDF-1 levels with LDL-C levels, coronary occlusion-based disease severity, low left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) values, and statin therapy in patients with unstable angina (UA).
Methods:
Patients with new UA (n = 108) were selected from Coronary Care Unit, King Abdulaziz University Hospital. The exclusion criteria included previous history of myocardial infarction, cardiac valvular problems, myocarditis, liver dysfunction, and recent acute infection. The demographic and clinical features were collected. Disease severity and LVEF values were determined. Plasma SDF-1, LDL-C, and troponin levels were measured.
Results:
There were poor correlations between plasma SDF-1 level, and sociodemographic features and risk factors except with LDL-C, where it showed a significant correlation. Furthermore, plasma SDF-1 showed non-significant variations with LVEF values and troponin peak levels. In contrast, plasma SDF-1 declined significantly in statin-treated patients, regardless of LDL-C level, compared with those untreated. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve for SDF-1 test showed good accuracy.
Conclusion:
In patients with severe UA, plasma SDF-1 level showed significant variations with LDL-C levels and statin therapy suggesting that it can give insight into response to statin therapy regardless of LDL-C level. The ROC analysis showed favorable characteristics suggesting a potential usefulness of plasma SDF-1 assay to discriminate the statin-treated patients from those untreated. This novel approach highlights SDF-1 potential as a biomarker for monitoring statin therapy and predicting risks for adverse events in UA. Furthermore, it could pave the way for longitudinal studies with repeated measurements of plasma SDF-1 to evaluate its role as a prognostic indicator for major adverse cardiovascular events besides the other cardiovascular disease risk factors.
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