Plasma T-cadherin negatively associates with coronary lesion severity and acute coronary syndrome

AIMS This study evaluated associations between plasma T cadherin levels and severity of atherosclerotic disease. METHODS AND RESULTS Three hundred and ninety patients undergoing coronary angiography were divided into three groups based on clinical and angiographic presentation: a group (n=40) with normal coronary arteries a group (n=250) with chronic coronary artery disease and a group (n=100) with acute coronary syndrome. Plasma T cadherin levels were measured by double sandwich ELISA. Intravascular ultrasound data of the left anterior descending artery were acquired in a subgroup of 284 patients. T cadherin levels were lower in patients with acute coronary syndrome than in normal patients (p=0.007) and patients with chronic coronary artery disease (p=0.002). Levels were lower in males (p=0.002) in patients with hypertension (p=0.002) and inpatients with diabetes (p=0.008) and negatively correlated with systolic blood pressure (p=0.014) body mass index (p=0.001) and total number of risk factors (p=0.001). T cadherin negatively associated with angiographic severity of disease (p=0.001) and with quantitative intravascular ultrasound measures of lesion severity (p