Tulunay Kaya Cansin, Sinan Ertas Fatih, Hasan Taner, Candemir Basar, Ozdol Cagdas, Arikan Akan Ozay, Kocum Tolga, Dincer Irem, Sahin Mustafa, Atmaca Yusuf, Conkbayır Cenk, Erol Cetin
Department of Cardiology, School of Medicine, Ankara University, Turkey.
Coron Artery Dis. 2011;22(6):394-400. doi: 10.1097/MCA.0b013e3283487d7f.
Calcium phosphate deposition is present even in the early phases of the atherosclerotic plaque formation. Calcifying nanoparticles (CNPs), previously known as nanobacteria, have emerged as a potential causative agent for pathological calcification in human vasculature. This study investigates the relationship between the anti-CNPs antibody titers and the extent of coronary calcification.
A total of 197 consecutive patients undergoing multidetector computed tomography were enrolled in this study. The patients with coronary artery calcification (CAC; n=103) were included in the CAC group, and those without calcification (n=94) were determined as controls. The commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits were used to detect IgG antibodies against CNPs in serum samples.
Mean titers of anti-CNPs antibodies were higher in individuals with CAC than in the control group (0.4 ± 0.4 vs. 0.19 ± 0.21U; P<0.0001). Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that high anti-CNPs antibody levels were an independent correlate of CAC in addition to conventional risk factors such as age, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and low levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. When the CAC scores were subcategorized: score 0, 1-100, 101-400, and more than 400, they still correlated significantly with the anti-CNPs antibody, especially in the group having CAC scores greater than 400 (P<0.0001).
Anti-CNPs antibodies are an independent risk factor for CAC and the antibody levels correlate with CAC scores.
