P880
The association of serum soluble cd36 levels with the presence and extent of coronary artery disease

Extract

Introduction: There is an ongoing need for novel biomarkers in the field of diagnosis and risk stratification of atherosclerotic coronary artery disease (CAD). CD36 is a scavenger macrophage receptor known to interact with oxidized LDL particles playing important roles in several aspects of the pathophysiology of atherosclerosis. Soluble form of CD36 (sCD36) found in human sera has been previously demonstrated to be associated with extent and stability of atherosclerotic carotid artery plaques.

Purpose: We aimed to investigate the association between sCD36 levels and the presence and extent of atherosclerosis in patients undergoing coronary angiography, which has not been previously studied, to the best of our knowledge.

Methods: Serum samples were collected from 155 stable patients before coronary angiography was carried out for the diagnosis of CAD. Serum sCD36 levels were determined using a commercially available ELISA essay.

Results: sCD36 levels were significantly higher in patients with coronary atherosclerosis compared to patients with normal coronary angiograms (4.5±1.3 vs 2.4±1.2 ng/ml). sCD36 levels were more pronounced in patients with at least one major coronary artery with >70% stenosis compared to other CAD patients. Likewise, sCD36 levels were significantly higher in 3 vessel CAD compared to milder vessel involvement (7.8±20.5 vs 4.1±1.9 pg/ml). Moreover, sCD36 was found to be correlated with number of diseased coronary arteries, as well as age and serum creatinine levels r=0.367, r=0.301 and r=0.294, respectively; all p values <0.001).