Soluble LR11 associates with aortic root calcification in asymptomatic treated male patients with familial hypercholesterolemia.

Ranitha Vongpromek, Sven Bos, Gert-Jan R Ten Kate, Hideaki Bujo, Meizi Jiang, Koen Nieman, Wolfgang Schneider, Jeanine E Roeters van Lennep, Adrie J M Verhoeven, Eric J G Sijbrands, Monique T Mulder

Journal: Atherosclerosis 2018;265():299-304

PMID: 28637586

Full Text on Elsevier Science View on PubMed

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Despite statin treatment, a high prevalence of severe vascular calcification is found in patients with familial hypercholesterolemia (FH). We assessed the relation between the circulating soluble form of low-density lipoprotein receptor relative with 11 ligand-binding repeats (sLR11), a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, and vascular calcification in asymptomatic statin-treated heterozygous FH patients.

METHODS

In 123 asymptomatic heterozygous FH patients (age 40-69 years), aortic root (ARC), aortic valve (AVC) and coronary artery calcification (CAC) were determined with CT-based calcium scoring expressed in Agatston units. Plasma sLR11 levels were measured by sandwich ELISA.

RESULTS

Seventy-three patients displayed ARC, 48 had AVC and 96 CAC. Plasma sLR11 levels were positively correlated with the presence of ARC (r = 0.2, p = 0.03), but not with AVC or CAC. The correlation between sLR11 levels and ARC was restricted to male FH patients (r = 0.31, p = 0.006). Multivariate logistic analyses showed that the association of plasma sLR11 with the presence of ARC was independent of other determinants (Adjusted Odds Ratio, 2.01 (95% CI = 1.28-3.16) p = 0.002).

CONCLUSIONS

Plasma sLR11 is associated with ARC in male FH patients and may be mechanistically involved in the differential distribution of atherosclerotic lesions in the vasculature.

Address: Department of Internal Medicine, Laboratory of Vascular Medicine, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.; Department of Cardiology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.; Department of Clinical-Laboratory and Experimental-Research Medicine, Toho University, Sakura Medical Center, Sakura, Japan.; Department of Cardiology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands; Department of Radiology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.; Department of Medical Biochemistry, Medical University of Vienna, Max. F. Perutz Laboratories, Vienna, Austria.; Department of Internal Medicine, Laboratory of Vascular Medicine, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Electronic address: [email protected].

DOI: 10.1016/j.atherosclerosis.2017.06.018