Microbleeds in ischemic stroke are associated with lower serum adiponectin and higher soluble E-selectin levels.

BACKGROUND

Cerebral microbleeds (CMBs) are the important indicators of cerebral small vessel disease. However, it is still unclear whether endothelial dysfunction is involved in CMBs. In this study, we performed a prospective study to investigate the correlation between sE-selectin (soluble E-selectin) or adiponectin and the prevalence of CMBs.

METHODS

We recruited 133 consecutive patients with first-ever ischemic stroke for this study. Finally, 126 patients were analyzed. The number and presence of CMBs were detected and evaluated on susceptibility-weighted magnetic resonance imaging within two weeks after symptom onset. We assessed the serum levels of adiponectin and sE-selectin for patients.

RESULTS

CMBs were detected in 63 subjects (50%) within 126 patients and more prevalent in mixed brain regions (55.6%). In binary logistic regression analysis, each 1SD-increase in adiponectin level was significantly conversely associated with the prevalence of CMBs after adjusting for age, sex and cardiovascular risk factors (OR = 0.55; 95% CI: 0.36-0.84); but sE-selectin was significantly positively associated with the prevalence of CMBs (OR = 1.09; 95% CI: 1.02-1.15). Furthermore, partial correlation analyses showed that sE-selectin remained significantly associated with and correlated conversely to adiponectin (r = -0.452, p = 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Endothelial injury may play a role in the pathogenesis of CMBs, and serum levels of adiponectin and sE-selectin were closely related to CMBs. Adiponectin might be protective for the prevalence of CMBs.