The expression of glycophorin A and osteoprotegerin is locally increased in carotid atherosclerotic lesions of symptomatic compared to asymptomatic patients

Osteoprotegerin Gene Polymorphisms Are Associated with Subclinical Atherosclerosis in the Mexican Mestizo Population

Subclinical atherosclerosis (SA) is the presence of coronary calcification in the absence of cardiovascular symptoms, and it usually progresses to atherosclerotic disease. Studies have shown an association of osteoprotegerin gene (OPG) variants with calcification process in cardiovascular diseases; however, to this day there are no studies that evaluate individuals in the asymptomatic stage of atherosclerotic disease. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to analyze the association of four genetic variants and haplotypes of the OPG gene with the development of SA, through TaqMan genotyping assays. We also aimed to identify potential response elements for transcription factors in these genetic variants. The study included 1413 asymptomatic participants (1041 were controls and 372 were individuals with SA). The rs3102735 polymorphism appeared as a protective marker (OR = 0.693; 95% CI = 0.493−0.974; pheterozygote = 0.035; OR = 0.699; 95% CI = 0.496−0.985; pcodominant 1 = 0.040) and two haplotypes were associated with SA, one as a decreased risk: GACC (OR = 0.641, 95% CI = 0.414−0.990, p = 0.045) and another as an increased risk: GACT (OR = 1.208, 95% CI = 1.020−1.431, p = 0.029). Our data suggest a lower risk of SA in rs3102735 C carriers in a representative sample of Mexican mestizo population.

Analyses of Long Noncoding RNA and mRNA Profiles in Subjects with the Phlegm-Dampness Constitution

Background

Constitution in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) plays a key role in the genesis, development, and prognosis of diseases. Phlegm-dampness constitution (PDC) is one of the nine constitutions in TCM, susceptible to metabolic disorders, which is mainly manifested by profuse phlegm, loose abdomen, and greasy face. Epidemiologic, genomic, and epigenetic studies have been carried out in previous works, confirming that PDC represents a distinctive population with microcosmic changes related to metabolic disorders. However, whether long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) play a regulatory role in metabolic disease in subjects with PDC remains largely unknown. We aimed to investigate distinct lncRNA and mRNA expression signatures and lncRNA-mRNA regulatory networks in the phlegm-dampness constitution (PDC).

Methods

The peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were isolated from the subjects with PDC (n = 13) and balanced constitution (BC) (n = 9). The profiles of lncRNAs and mRNAs in PBMCs were analyzed using microarray and further validated with RT-qPCR. Subsequently, pathway analysis was performed to investigate the function of differentially expressed mRNAs by using Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA).

Results

Results suggested that some mRNAs, which were regulated by the differentially expressed lncRNAs, were mainly enriched in lipid metabolism and immune inflammation-related pathways. This was consistent with the molecular characteristics of previous studies, indicating that the clinical characteristics of metabolic disorders in PDC might be regulated by lncRNAs. Furthermore, by making coexpression network construction as well as cis-regulated target gene analysis, several lncRNA-mRNA pairs with potential regulatory relationships were identified by bioinformatic analyses, including RP11-317J10.2-CA3, RP11-809C18.3-PIP4K2A, LINC0069-RFTN1, TTTY15-ARHGEF9, and AC135048.13-ORAI3.

Conclusions

This study first revealed that the expression characteristics of lncRNAs/mRNAs may be potential biomarkers, indicating that the distinctive physical and clinical characteristics of PDC might be partially attributed to the specific expression signatures of lncRNAs/mRNAs.

Genetic Variants and Haplotypes in OPG Gene Are Associated with Premature Coronary Artery Disease and Traditional Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Mexican Population: The GEA Study

Basic and clinical research have demonstrated that osteoprotegerin (OPG) plays an important role in the development and progression of cardiovascular diseases. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association of four polymorphic sites (rs2073618, rs3134069, rs3134070, and rs3102735) of OPG gene with premature coronary artery disease (pCAD), and with cardiometabolic parameters. The polymorphisms were genotyped using 5' exonuclease TaqMan genotyping assays with real-time PCR in 1098 individuals with pCAD and 1041 healthy controls. rs2073618 polymorphism was associated with a high risk of developing pCAD according to different inheritance models: additive (p = 0.001; odds ratio [OR] = 1.283), dominant (p = 0.006; OR = 1.383), recessive (p = 0.011; OR = 1.423), and codominant 2 (p = 0.001; OR = 1.646). The four polymorphisms were associated with different cardiovascular risk factors in individuals with pCAD and controls. Our results suggest that OPG rs2073618 polymorphism is associated with an increased risk of pCAD. In addition, two haplotypes were associated with pCAD, one increasing the risk (CACT) and another one as protective (GACC).

Extracellular Matrix Remodeling Factors as Markers of Carotid Artery Atherosclerosis

Materials and Methods

20 patients undergoing routine carotid endarterectomy and 40 healthy volunteers were enrolled in this study. MMPs activity and OPG and FN concentrations were measured in atherosclerotic plaques and nonchanged contiguous tissue after homogenization as well as in plasma from patients and reference group. The activity of MMPs was evaluated by gelatin zymography, and the concentration of OPG and FN was assessed by ELISA.

Results

OPG concentration and MMP-9 activity showed differences between plaque and nonchanged tissue; OPG was higher in adjacent tissue (P=0.0009), whereas MMP-9 was higher in plaque (proMMP-9 P=0.0003; MMP-9 P < 0.0001). The OPG plasma concentration and both MMPs plasma activity were higher in patients (OPG P < 0.001; proMMP-2 P=0.0292; and proMMP-9 P=0.0374), while FN plasma concentration was lower in patients than in the reference group (P=0.0004). The ROC curves analysis showed the highest AUC for OPG (0.943) with 85.0% sensitivity and 92.1% specificity.

Conclusions

The atherosclerotic plaque and the contiguous artery wall are biochemically different. OPG shows the highest potential to be a marker of advanced carotid atherosclerosis.

Plasma pentraxin 3 is associated with progression of radiographic joint damage, but not carotid atherosclerosis, in female rheumatoid arthritis patients: 3-year prospective study

Background: Pentraxin 3 (PTX3) has an important role in inflammation, immunity, and atherosclerosis. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory disease featuring both joint damage and atherosclerosis. We investigated whether the plasma PTX3 level was associated with progression of joint destruction and subclinical atherosclerosis in RA patients.Methods: Plasma PTX3 levels were measured in 72 women with RA and 80 female control subjects. In RA patients, we also evaluated clinical characteristics, medications, and at one and three years, joint damage and atherosclerosis. Then we investigated whether PTX3 was associated with progression of joint destruction or an increase of carotid intima-media thickness (IMT).Results: Plasma PTX3 levels were significantly higher in the RA patients than in healthy controls (4.05 ± 2.91 ng/mL vs. 1.61 ± 1.05 ng/mL, p < .001). By multivariate linear regression analysis, the plasma pentraxin 3 level was independently associated with radiographic progression of joint damage for 3 years in the RA patients after adjustment for age, disease duration, body mass index, rheumatoid factor, MMP-3, Disease Activity Score 28-ESR, postmenopausal status, current use of corticosteroids and biologic use. On the other hands, pentraxin 3 was not associated with an increase of carotid intima-media thickness in RA patients.Conclusion: Female RA patients had elevated plasma PTX3 levels compared with control female subjects. PTX3 was independently associated with radiographic progression of joint damage in the RA patients, but not with carotid atherosclerosis.

Elevated serum osteoprotegerin levels in women: friend or foe?

INTRODUCTION

osteoprotegerin has emerged as a new candidate for the treatment of osteoporosis. However, high levels of osteoprotegerin have been linked to vascular calcification, an independent and well-defined risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and mortality. Thus, the action of osteoprotegerin in these situations has been questioned.

OBJECTIVE

to evaluate the effect of osteoprotegerin (OPG) on the human body, especially in bone tissue and in vascular diseases.

METHODS

the scientific databases consulted were PubMed-Medline and Cochrane, using keywords (MeSH terms) grouped into the following syntaxes: (Osteoprotegerin OR Osteoclastogenesis Inhibitory Factor OR Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor, Member 11b OR Tumor Necrosis Factor Receptor Superfamily, Member 11b OR FDCR-1 Protein OR FDCR 1 Protein OR OCIF Protein OR Follicular Dendritic Cell-Derived Receptor-1) AND (Bones AND Bone OR Bones AND Bone Tissue OR Bones OR Bone Tissue OR Cardiovascular Diseases).

RESULTS

Osteoprotegerin is present in various organs and binds to two ligands: nuclear factor kB (RANKL) related to the differentiation of osteoclasts, and tumor necrosis factor related to the apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL). OPG inhibits the regulation effects of nuclear factor kB on inflammation and on the skeletal and vascular systems, preventing the apoptosis induced by TRAIL, being related to the preservation of bone tissue.

CONCLUSION

a deeper knowledge of the mechanisms involved in the association between OPG serum levels, bone integrity and cardiovascular disease can provide important data for future therapeutic interventions.

Coding Microsatellite Frameshift Mutations Accumulate in Atherosclerotic Carotid Artery Lesions: Evaluation of 26 Cases and Literature Review

Somatic DNA alterations are known to occur in atherosclerotic carotid artery lesions; however, their significance is unknown. The accumulation of microsatellite mutations in coding DNA regions may reflect a deficiency of the DNA mismatch repair (MMR) system. Alternatively, accumulation of these coding microsatellite mutations may indicate that they contribute to the pathology. To discriminate between these two possibilities, we compared the mutation frequencies in coding microsatellites (likely functionally relevant) with those in noncoding microsatellites (likely neutral). Genomic DNA was isolated from carotid endarterectomy (CEA) specimens of 26 patients undergoing carotid surgery and from 15 nonatherosclerotic control arteries. Samples were analyzed by DNA fragment analysis for instability at three noncoding (BAT25, BAT26, CAT25) and five coding (AIM2, ACVR2, BAX, CASP5, TGFBR2) microsatellite loci, with proven validity for detection of microsatellite instability in neoplasms. We found an increased frequency of coding microsatellite mutations in CEA specimens compared with control specimens (34.6 versus 0%; p = 0.0013). Five CEA specimens exhibited more than one frameshift mutation, and ACVR2 and CASP5 were affected most frequently (5/26 and 6/26). Moreover, the rate of coding microsatellite alterations (15/130) differed significantly from that of noncoding alterations (0/78) in CEA specimens (p = 0.0013). In control arteries, no microsatellite alterations were observed, neither in coding nor in noncoding microsatellite loci. In conclusion, the specific accumulation of coding mutations suggests that these mutations play a role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerotic carotid lesions, since the absence of mutations in noncoding microsatellites argues against general microsatellite instability, reflecting MMR deficiency.

The emerging role of endothelin-1 in the pathogenesis of subchondral bone disturbance and osteoarthritis

Mounting evidence suggests reconceptualizing osteoarthritis (OA) as an inflammatory disorder. Trauma and obesity, the common risk factors of OA, could trigger the local or systemic inflammatory cytokines cascade. Inflammatory bone loss has been well documented; yet it remains largely unknown about the link between the inflammation and hypertrophic changes of subchondral bone seen in OA, such as osteophytosis and sclerosis. Amid a cohort of inflammatory cytokines, endothelin-1 (ET-1) could stimulate the osteoblast-mediated bone formation in both physiological (postnatal growth of trabecular bone) and pathological conditions (bone metastasis of prostate or breast cancer). Also, ET-1 is known as a mitogen and contributes to fibrosis in various organs, e.g., skin, liver, lung, kidney heart and etc., as a result of inflammatory or metabolic disorders. Subchondral bone sclerosis shared the similarity with fibrosis in terms of the overproduction of collagen type I. We postulated that ET-1 might have a hand in the subchondral bone sclerosis of OA. Meanwhile, ET-1 was also able to stimulate the production of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-1 and 13 by articular chondrocytes and synoviocytes, by which it might trigger the enzymatic degradation of articular cartilage. Taken together, ET-1 signaling may play a role in destruction of bone-cartilage unit in the pathogenesis of OA; it warrants further investigations to potentiate ET-1 as a novel diagnostic biomarker and therapeutic target for rescue of OA.

Contribution of neovascularization and intraplaque haemorrhage to atherosclerotic plaque progression and instability

Atherosclerosis is a continuous pathological process that starts early in life and progresses frequently to unstable plaques. Plaque rupture leads to deleterious consequences such as acute coronary syndrome, stroke and atherothrombosis. The vulnerable lesion has several structural and functional hallmarks that distinguish it from the stable plaque. The unstable plaque has large necrotic core (over 40% plaque volume) composed of cholesterol crystals, cholesterol esters, oxidized lipids, fibrin, erythrocytes and their remnants (haeme, iron, haemoglobin), and dying macrophages. The fibrous cap is thin, depleted of smooth muscle cells and collagen, and is infiltrated with proinflammatory cells. In unstable lesion, formation of neomicrovessels is increased. These neovessels have weak integrity and leak thereby leading to recurrent haemorrhages. Haemorrhages deliver erythrocytes to the necrotic core where they degrade promoting inflammation and oxidative stress. Inflammatory cells mostly presented by monocytes/macrophages, neutrophils and mast cells extravagate from bleeding neovessels and infiltrate adventitia where they support chronic inflammation. Plaque destabilization is an evolutionary process that could start at early atherosclerotic stages and whose progression is influenced by many factors including neovascularization, intraplaque haemorrhages, formation of cholesterol crystals, inflammation, oxidative stress and intraplaque protease activity.