Carotid contrast-enhanced ultrasonography combined with sirtuin-3 in the diagnosis of plaques in carotid atherosclerosis.

BACKGROUND

Carotid atherosclerosis (CAS) is one of the main causes of ischemic stroke. Currently, the clinical evidence for contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS) as a method for diagnosing CAS is still inadequate. Sirtuin-3 (SIRT3) is associated with the inflammation response; however, few studies have evaluated SIRT3 in CAS.

OBJECTIVES

To investigate the role of SIRT3 in CAS patients and its diagnostic value for unstable plaques when combined with CEUS.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

This is a prospective observational study including 517 CAS patients who were admitted to our hospital from January 2015 to December 2020. All patients received a normal Doppler ultrasound, CEUS and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The latter was used as the gold standard in evaluating plaque conditions. Serum SIRT3 levels were measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Serum levels of total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-ch), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-ch), C-reactive protein (CRP), and interleukin (IL)-6 levels were measured and recorded.

RESULTS

Patients with severe CAS showed significantly higher levels of CRP, IL-6, TC, and LDL-ch, a higher frequency of unstable plaques, as well as a lower level of HDL-ch. In patients with severe CAS and CAS patients with stable plaques, the levels of SIRT3 were markedly lower. Patients with a high expression of SIRT3 showed significantly lower levels of CRP, IL-6, TC and LDL-ch, and higher levels of HDL-ch, as well as a lower frequency of unstable plaques. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves showed that the combination of CEUS and SIRT3 could achieve high sensitivity and specificity in the diagnosis of unstable plaques. High levels of C-reactive protein, IL-6, TC, TG and LDL-ch, as well as low levels of SIRT3 and HDL-ch, and current smoking were risk factors of unstable plaques in CAS patients.

CONCLUSIONS

A low expression of SIRT3 predicted a higher risk for unstable plaques in CAS patients. The combination of CEUS and SIRT3 is a potential strategy for diagnosing unstable plaques.