Płoński Adam, Krupa Anna, Płoński Adam Filip, Pawlak Dariusz, Gabriel Marcin, Sieklucka Beata, Głowiński Jerzy, Pawlak Krystyna
Department of Vascular Surgery and Transplantation, Medical University of Bialystok, 15-276 Bialystok, Poland.
Department of Internal Medicine and Metabolic Diseases, Medical University of Bialystok, 15-276 Bialystok, Poland.
Int J Mol Sci. 2025 May 15;26(10):4731. doi: 10.3390/ijms26104731.
Atherosclerosis is a major contributor to ischemic stroke. Carotid plaque instability is a critical determinant of cerebrovascular events, yet its identification remains challenging. One chemokine with well-documented proatherogenic properties is MCP-1, whose levels are elevated in patients with conditions such as hypertension, obesity, and atherosclerosis. This study evaluated the association between obesity, serum MCP-1 levels, and carotid plaque instability as determined by ultrasound gray-scale median (GSM) analysis in 77 patients who underwent carotid endarterectomy. Patients were classified by body mass index. Serum MCP-1 concentrations were measured using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay technique. Analyses were performed to explore relationships between clinical parameters, biochemical markers, and plaque stability. Increasing body weight was paralleled by higher MCP-1 levels and lower GSM values, indicative of unstable plaques. Moreover, logistic regression analysis identified MCP-1 as one of the independent predictors of plaque instability, particularly in overweight and hypertensive patients. These results indicate the potential usefulness of MCP-1 as a biomarker of carotid plaque instability, confirming the negative effect of obesity in promoting other known cardiovascular risk factors causing plaque instability in patients with carotid atherosclerosis.
动脉粥样硬化是缺血性中风的主要成因。颈动脉斑块不稳定是脑血管事件的关键决定因素，但其识别仍具有挑战性。一种具有充分文献记载的促动脉粥样硬化特性的趋化因子是单核细胞趋化蛋白-1（MCP-1），在高血压、肥胖和动脉粥样硬化等疾病患者中其水平会升高。本研究评估了77例行颈动脉内膜切除术患者的肥胖、血清MCP-1水平与通过超声灰阶中位数（GSM）分析确定的颈动脉斑块不稳定之间的关联。患者按体重指数分类。采用酶联免疫吸附测定技术测量血清MCP-1浓度。进行分析以探究临床参数、生化标志物与斑块稳定性之间的关系。体重增加伴随着更高的MCP-1水平和更低的GSM值，这表明斑块不稳定。此外，逻辑回归分析确定MCP-1是斑块不稳定的独立预测因子之一，尤其是在超重和高血压患者中。这些结果表明MCP-1作为颈动脉斑块不稳定生物标志物的潜在用途，证实了肥胖在促进导致颈动脉粥样硬化患者斑块不稳定的其他已知心血管危险因素方面的负面影响。
