Prothrombin fragment F1 + 2: correlations with cardiovascular risk factors

Area of Science:

• Biochemistry
• Cardiovascular Medicine
• Hematology

Background:

• Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains a leading cause of mortality worldwide.
• Identifying reliable biomarkers for CVD risk is crucial for early intervention.
• Prothrombin fragment F1 + 2 (F1 + 2) is a marker of thrombin generation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between plasma F1 + 2, thrombin-antithrombin complexes (TAT), fibrinogen, and factor VII with cardiovascular risk factors.
• To evaluate the potential of F1 + 2 as a predictive marker for ischaemic heart disease (IHD).

Main Methods:

• Analysis of plasma F1 + 2, TAT, fibrinogen, and factor VII levels in 86 plasma donors.
• Correlation of biomarker levels with cardiovascular risk factors including age, BMI, smoking status, physical activity, family history of IHD, and cholesterol levels.

Main Results:

• Plasma F1 + 2 levels increased significantly with age and BMI, and were higher in smokers and sedentary males.
• Higher F1 + 2 levels were observed in individuals with a parental history of IHD and correlated with cholesterol in males.
• F1 + 2 showed closer correlation with CVD risk factors than fibrinogen and factor VII, and reflected sex-specific differences in risk.

Conclusions:

• Plasma F1 + 2 is a sensitive indicator of thrombin generation and correlates strongly with multiple cardiovascular risk factors.
• F1 + 2 demonstrates potential as a valuable predictive biomarker for ischaemic heart disease.
• The findings highlight the utility of F1 + 2 in assessing cardiovascular risk, particularly in differentiating risk between sexes.