Serum biomarker discovery related to pathogenesis in acute coronary syndrome by proteomic approach

Serum protein profiling reveals mechanism of activated thrombus formation in patients with stroke and atrial fibrillation

Stroke is an acute cerebrovascular disease in which blood flow to the brain is suddenly disrupted, causing damage to nerve cells. It involves complex and diverse pathophysiological processes and the treatment strategies are also diverse. The treatment for patients with stroke and atrial fibrillation (AF) is aimed at suppressing thrombus formation and migration. However, information regarding the protein networking involved in different thrombus formation pathways in patients with AF and stroke is insufficient. We performed protein profiling of patients with ischemic stroke with and without AF to investigate the mechanisms of thrombus formation and its pathophysiological association while providing helpful information for treating and managing patients with AF. These two groups were compared to identify the protein networks related to thrombus formation in AF. We observed that patients with ischemic stroke and AF had activated inflammatory responses induced by C-reactive protein, lipopolysaccharide-binding protein, and alpha-1-acid glycoprotein 1. In contrast, thyroid hormones were increased due to a decrease in transthyretin and retinol-binding protein 4 levels. The mechanism underlying enhanced cardiac activity, vasodilation, and the resulting thrombosis pathway were confirmed in AF. These findings will play an essential role in improving the prevention and treatment of AF-related stroke.

Plasma leucine-rich α-2 glycoprotein 1 in ST-elevation myocardial infarction: vertical variation, correlation with T helper 17/regulatory T ratio, and predictive value on major adverse cardiovascular events

Objective

Leucine-rich α-2 glycoprotein 1 (LRG1) promotes inflammation and myocardial injury, but its clinical role in ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) is rarely disclosed. Herein, this prospective study aimed to explore the value of plasma LRG1 at different time points to predict major adverse cardiovascular event (MACE) risk in patients with STEMI.

Methods

In total, 209 patients with STEMI were enrolled for determining plasma LRG1 at admission and on day (D)1/D7/D30 after admission via enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, as well as for determination of peripheral blood T helper 17 (Th17) cells and regulatory T (Treg) cells by flow cytometry. In addition, plasma LRG1 was obtained from 30 healthy controls at enrollment.

Results

LRG1 was increased in patients with STEMI at admission compared with healthy controls (P < 0.001). In patients with STEMI, LRG1 varied at different time points (P < 0.001), which elevated from admission to D1, and gradually declined thereafter. LRG1 at admission was positively associated with Th17 cells (P = 0.001) and Th17/Treg ratio (P = 0.014). LRG1 at admission (P = 0.013), D1 (P = 0.034), D7 (P = 0.001), and D30 (P = 0.010) were increased in patients with MACE compared with those without. LRG1 at D7 exhibited good ability to estimate MACE risk (area under curve = 0.750, 95% confidence interval = 0.641-0.858). LRG1 at admission > 60 μg/ml (P = 0.031) and D7 > 60 μg/ml (P = 0.018) were linked with increased accumulating MACE. Importantly, LRG1 at D7 > 60 μg/ml was independently correlated with increased MACE risk (hazard ratio = 5.216, P = 0.033).

Conclusion

Plasma LRG1 increases from admission to D1 and gradually declines until D30, which positively links with Th17 cells and MACE risk in patients with STEMI.

Proteomics in Cardiovascular disease

This study focuses on recent advances in proteomics and provides an up-to-date use of this technology in identifying cardiovascular disease (CVD) biomarkers. A total of eight electronic databases (PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Wanfang, Vip, Sinomed, and CNKI) were searched and five were used for integrative analysis of sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio (PLR), negative likelihood ratio (NLR), diagnostic ratio (DOR) and 1 secondary indicator area under the curve (AUC). This systematic review and integrative analysis summarized potential biomarkers previously identified by proteomics. The integrative analysis suggested that proteomics technology had high clinical value in CVD diagnosis. The findings provided new possible directions for the prevention or diagnosis of CVD.

A comprehensive proteomic profiling of urinary exosomes and the identification of early non-invasive biomarker in patients with coronary artery disease

Urinary small extracellular vesicles or exosomes (uEVs) source could be an emerging trove of biomarkers in coronary artery disease (CAD). It is a chronic inflammatory disease having a long asymptomatic phase of fatty-fibrous development in arteries leading to angina, myocardial infarction, and death. Our study was aimed at identifying differential protein expression profiling of uEVs in CAD. We collected urine samples of CAD patients (n = 41) age 18-65 years and gender matched healthy controls (n = 41). We isolated uEVs using differential ultracentrifugation. Further, uEV samples were characterized by western blotting exosome markers (Flotillin, TSG, CD63, and CD9), nano tracking analysis, and transmission and scanning electron microscopy. A total of 508 proteins were identified by iTRAQ-based mass spectrometry. We observed protein expression levels of AZGP1, SEMG1/2, ORM1, IGL, SERPINA5, HSPG2, prosaposin, gelsolin, and CD59 were upregulated, and UMOD, KNG1, AMBP, prothrombin, and TF were downregulated. Protein-protein interactions, gene ontology and pathway analysis were performed to functionally annotate identified uEVs proteins. A novel uEVs differential protein signature is shown. On validating UMOD protein by ELISA in two clinically different CAD, stable-CAD patients had lower levels than healthy controls whereas recent myocardial infarction patients had lowest. Our findings suggest UMOD importance as early diagnostic biomarker. SIGNIFICANCE: Coronary artery disease is a chronic inflammatory disease caused by gradual deposition of cholesterol and fat along with other proteins to develop plaque inside arteries. This further leads to blockage of artery, heart attack and death. There are no identifiable early biomarkers to diagnose this. For the first time, we have identified the differentially expressed proteins isolated from non-invasive uEV of CAD patients compared to healthy controls by using MS Orbitrap and iTRAQ labelling of peptides. We have identified decreased levels of UMOD protein in CAD. These findings have been confirmed by ELISA. Furthermore, the levels of UMOD were observed as more highly decreased in recent myocardial infarction CAD patients, indicating the importance of this protein as an early diagnostic biomarker. Conclusively, our study represents a non-invasive urinary EVs trove of differentially expressed proteins in CAD. This will form a groundwork for understanding the pathophysiology of CAD and will help in future translational research utilizing uEVs.

HAND2-AS1 associates with outcomes of acute coronary syndrome and regulates cell viability of vascular endothelial cells

OBJECTIVE

Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is an emergency and severe disorder of the cardiovascular system. This paper assessed the expression of plasma HAND2-AS1 in patients with ACS, researched its diagnostic and prognostic significance, and studied its possible mechanism for participating in ACS.

METHODS

The concentration of HAND2-AS1 of 101 included patients with ACS was certified by qRT-PCR and its possible diagnostic function was revealed by the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. All patients were followed up for 6 months after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) therapy and Kaplan-Meier (K-M) curve and COX regression analysis was performed to estimate the short-term prognostic value of HAND2-AS1 in ACS. The interrelationship between HAND2-AS1 and Gensini score and endothelial injury was identified via Pearson correlation. The function of HAND2-AS1 on the viability, migration, and apoptosis of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) was estimated by the Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8), Transwell chamber, and flow cytometry.

RESULTS

In ACS patients, the expression of serum HAND2-AS1 was prominently decreased and closely correlated with the Gensini score. The decreased HAND2-AS1 expression was of diagnostic significance. Declined plasma HAND2-AS1 was observed in patients with the major adverse cardio-cerebrovascular event (MACCE) and was an independent risk for the poor prognosis of ACS patients. In the cell model, upregulation of HAND2-AS1 improved cell viability and migration and inhibited cell apoptosis.

CONCLUSION

HAND2-AS1 was an independent biomarker for the diagnosis and prognosis of ACS. HAND2-AS1 might be involved in ACS development by regulating endothelial damage.

Circulating mir-483-5p as a novel diagnostic biomarker for acute coronary syndrome and its predictive value for the clinical outcome after PCI

BACKGROUND

MicroRNA (miRNA) plays a critical function in the progression of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and is associated with major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs) after undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). This research was designed to probe the diagnostic accuracy of miR-483-5p in patients with ACS and its predictive value of MACEs.

METHODS

118 patients with ACS (40 with unstable angina pectoris [UAP] and 78 with acute myocardial infarction [AMI]) and 75 healthy controls were enrolled. Serum miR-483-5p was detected in the subjects by reverse transcription-quantitative real-time PCR (RT-qPCR). ROC curve and logistic regression models were employed to estimate the diagnosis. Patients were monitored for 6 months after PCI to document the occurrence of MACEs. Kaplan-Meier survival was conducted to explore the predictive significance of miR-483-5p for the MACEs.

RESULTS

Serum miR-483-5p levels were higher in ACS patients and associated with SYNTAX score and Gensini score. miR-483-5p was effective in identifying ACS patients from healthy individuals (AUC = 0.919) and AMI patients from ACS patients (AUC = 0.867), demonstrating a high diagnostic value, proven by logistic regression (OR = 9.664, 95%CI = 4.462-20.928, P < 0.001). The prevalence of MACEs during follow-up were 24.58%, and a higher prevalence of MACEs were observed in patients with elevated miR-483-5p (P = 0.01). miR-483-5p was also an effective predictor of MACE occurrence (HR = 5.955, 95%CI = 1.928-18.389, P = 0.002).

CONCLUSION

Expression of serum miR-483-5p can be utilized as a non-invasive marker for diagnosing ACS and predicting the onset of MACE after PCI.

Biomarkers to monitor the prognosis, disease severity, and treatment efficacy in coronary artery disease

INTRODUCTION

Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) is a prevalent condition characterized by the presence of atherosclerotic plaques in the coronary arteries of the heart. The global burden of CAD has increased significantly over the years, resulting in millions of deaths annually and making it the leading health-care expenditure and cause of mortality in developed countries. The lack of cost-effective strategies for monitoring the prognosis of CAD warrants a pressing need for accurate and efficient markers to assess disease severity and progression for both reducing health-care costs and improving patient outcomes.

AREA COVERED

To effectively monitor CAD, prognostic biomarkers and imaging techniques play a vital role in risk-stratified patients during acute treatment and over time. However, with over 1,000 potential markers of interest, it is crucial to identify the key markers with substantial utility in monitoring CAD progression and evaluating therapeutic interventions. This review focuses on identifying and highlighting the most relevant markers for monitoring CAD prognosis and disease severity. We searched for relevant literature using PubMed and Google Scholar.

EXPERT OPINION

By utilizing the markers discussed, health-care providers can improve patient care, optimize treatment plans, and ultimately reduce health-care costs associated with CAD management.

Proteomics in thrombosis research

A State of the Art lecture titled “Proteomics in Thrombosis Research” was presented at the ISTH Congress in 2021. In clinical practice, there is a need for improved plasma biomarker‐based tools for diagnosis and risk prediction of venous thromboembolism (VTE). Analysis of blood, to identify plasma proteins with potential utility for such tools, could enable an individualized approach to treatment and prevention. Technological advances to study the plasma proteome on a large scale allows broad screening for the identification of novel plasma biomarkers, both by targeted and nontargeted proteomics methods. However, assay limitations need to be considered when interpreting results, with orthogonal validation required before conclusions are drawn. Here, we review and provide perspectives on the application of affinity‐ and mass spectrometry‐based methods for the identification and analysis of plasma protein biomarkers, with potential application in the field of VTE. We also provide a future perspective on discovery strategies and emerging technologies for targeted proteomics in thrombosis research. Finally, we summarize relevant new data on this topic, presented during the 2021 ISTH Congress.