Title:Osteoprotegerin and Osteopontin Serum Levels are Associated with Vascular Function and Inflammation in Coronary Artery Disease Patients
Volume: 18
Issue: 5
Author(s): Konstantinos Maniatis, Gerasimos Siasos*, Evangelos Oikonomou, Manolis Vavuranakis, Marina Zaromytidou, Konstantinos Mourouzis, Thodoros Paraskevopoulos, Georgios Charalambous, Athanasios G. Papavassiliou and Dimitris Tousoulis
Affiliation:
- 1st Department of Cardiology, ‘Hippokration’ Hospital, University of Athens Medical School, Athens,Greece
Keywords:
Vascular calcification, osteoprotegerin, osteopontin, inflammation, interleukin-6, endothelial function, arterial
stiffness, coronary artery disease.
Abstract:
Background: Osteoprotegerin and osteopontin have recently emerged as key factors in both
vascular remodelling and atherosclerosis progression. Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is an inflammatory cytokine
with a key role in atherosclerosis. The relationship of osteoprotegerin, osteopontin, and IL-6 serum levels
with endothelial function and arterial stiffness was evaluated in patients with coronary artery disease
(CAD).
Methods: We enrolled 219 patients with stable CAD and 112 control subjects. Osteoprotegerin, osteopontin
and IL-6 serum levels were measured using an ELISA assay. Endothelial function was evaluated
by flow-mediated dilation (FMD) in the brachial artery and carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (PWV)
was measured as an index of aortic stiffness.
Results: There was no significant difference between control subjects and CAD patients according to
age and sex. Compared with control subjects, CAD patients had significantly impaired FMD (p<0.001)
and increased PWV (p=0.009). CAD patients also had significantly higher levels of osteoprotegerin
(p<0.001), osteopontin (p<0.001) and IL-6 (p=0.03), compared with control subjects. Moreover, IL-6
levels were correlated with osteoprotegerin (r=0.17, p=0.01) and osteopontin (r=0.30, p<0.001) levels.
FMD was correlated with osteoprotegerin levels independent of possible confounders [b coefficient= -
0.79, 95% CI (-1.54, -0.05), p=0.04].
Conclusion: CAD patients have increased osteoprotegerin, osteopontin and IL-6 levels. Moreover, there
is a consistent association between osteoprotegerin and osteopontin serum levels, vascular function and
inflammation in CAD patients. These findings suggest another possible mechanism linking osteoprotegerin
and osteopontin serum levels with CAD progression through arterial wall stiffening and inflammation.
