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Background: Controversial effect of sortilin on lipoprotein metabolism in the development of atherosclerosis reveals the need for more extensive research., Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the association between Sort1 gene expression and lipids, lipoprotein subfractions, and inflammation in CAD., Methods: The study population included 162 subjects with CAD and 49 healthy individuals. The Sort1 gene expression level was determined by qRT-PCR using Human Sortilin TaqMan Gene Expression Assays. Lipoprotein subclasses were analysed by the Lipoprint system. Serum levels of apolipoprotein and CRP were measured by autoanalyzer., Results: Sort1 gene expression and atherogenic subfraction (SdLDL) levels were significantly higher ( p  < 0.001) while atheroprotective subfraction (LbLDL) was lower in the subjects with CAD ( p  < 0.050). Also, increased Sort1 gene expression levels were observed in those with higher CRP values., Conclusions: Our findings reveal that the high Sort1 gene expression has a prominent linear relationship with both the atherogenic LDL phenotype and proinflammation, thereby might contribute to the occurrence of CAD.

Peripheral artery disease occurs at advanced ages and accounts for substantial cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), a member of the cysteine-cysteine family of chemokines, is one of the cytokines involved in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and is also known as cysteine-cysteine chemokine ligand 2 (CCL2). The aim of the current study was to investigate the association between the extent of atherosclerotic peripheral artery disease (PAD) and the increase in MCP-1 level. Eighty consecutive patients who had undergone peripheral angiography for suspected PAD were included. Of these patients, 48 (60%) had hypertension, 23 (28.8%) had type 2 diabetes mellitus, 39 (48.8%) had a family history of coronary artery disease, 23 (28.8%) were cigarette smokers, and 42 (52.5%) had hypercholesterolemia. Angiography revealed that the peripheral arteries of the lower extremity were normal in 41 (51.3%) patients, whereas 39 (48.7%) patients had varying degrees of PAD. The patients were queried regarding age, gender, and atherosclerotic risk factors. The plasma MCP-1 levels were significantly lower in the patients without PAD than those in the patients with PAD (172.27 ± 38.05 pg/mL vs. 200.87 ± 39.31 pg/mL, p = 0.001). Moreover, as the severity of PAD increases, MCP-1 levels also increase. Thus, the plasma MCP-1 level can be used in the diagnosis of PAD and in determining the extent of atherosclerotic PAD of the lower extremities, as in determining the extent of coronary artery disease., (© 2011 Tohoku University Medical Press)

Atherogenic dyslipidemia characterized by abnormal changes in plasma lipid profile such as low high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and increased triglyceride (TG) levels is strongly associated with atherosclerotic diseases. We aimed to evaluate the levels of pro- and antiatherogenic lipids and erythrocyte membrane cholesterol (EMC) content in normo- and dyslipidemic subjects to investigate whether EMC content could be a useful marker for clinical presentation of atherogenic dyslipidemia. Low-density lipoprotein (LDL), HDL and their subfraction levels and erythrocyte lipid content were determined in 64 normolipidemic (NLs), 42 hypercholesterolemic (HCs) and 42 mixed-type dyslipidemic subjects (MTDs). Plasma atherogenic lipid indices [small-dense LDL (sdLDL)/less-dense HDL (LHDL), TC/HDL-C, TG/HDL-C and Apo B/AI] were higher in MTDs compared to NLs ( p < 0.001). The highest sdLDL level was observed in HCs ( p < 0.01). Despite a slight increase in EMC level in dyslipidemic subgroups, the difference was not statistically significant. A significant negative correlation, however, was observed between EMC and sdLDL/LHDL in HCs ( p < 0.035, r = −0.386). Receiver operating characteristic curves to predict sdLDL level showed that TG and EMC levels had higher area under curve values compared to other parameters in HCs. We showed that diameters of larger LDL and HDL particles tend to shift toward smaller values in MTDs. Our results suggest that EMC content and TG levels may be a useful predictor for sdLDL level in hypercholesterolemic patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]