[Association between serum soluble CD146 level and plaque vulnerability in carotid atherosclerosis].

OBJECTIVE

To explore the relationship between circulating level of soluble CD146 (sCD146) and plaque vulnerability or inflammatory factors in patients with carotid atherosclerosis (CAS).

METHODS

Forty CAS patients with carotid stenosis ( ≥ 70%) were enrolled and divided into 2 groups of stable and unstable plaque by ultrasonic imaging. And another 40 healthy subjects were enrolled for control group. Double-antibody sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was employed to measure the serum levels of sCD146 and matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), analyze the correlation of sCD146 with MMP-9 and high sensitivity CRP (hs-CRP), and evaluate whether sCD146 correlates with plaque vulnerability.

RESULTS

Soluble CD146 level was elevated in CAS patients versus healthy donors [(212 ± 43) vs (173 ± 36) ng/ml, P < 0.001]. And sCD146 level significantly increased in CAS patients with unstable plaques than those with stable plaque [(218 ± 28) vs (176 ± 25) ng/ml, P < 0.001]. And sCD146 was correlated with high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP, r = 0.370 9, P = 0.018 5), a well-known marker for CAS inflammation. Also it was an independent risk factor for plaque vulnerability (OR = 1.16, 95%CI:1.020-1.310, P = 0.019 2). And its level was not correlated with the risk factors of CAS, such as age, homocysteine, triglyceride, total cholesterol (TC), low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) or high density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) (P > 0.05). But there was a good correlation with the serum level of MMP-9 in CAS patients (r = 0.677 2, P < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

The concentration of soluble CD146 is positively correlated with hsCRP and MMP-9 in CAS patients. And inflammation and neovascularization may interact with each other during atherosclerotic process. The serum level of sCD146 is correlated independently with plaque vulnerability.