Med Bull Sisli Etfal Hosp. 2019; 53(3): 267-271 | DOI: 10.14744/SEMB.2018.25582

The Association of Plasma Apelin Levels with Plaque Vulnerability

Kudret Keskin¹, Süleyman Sezai Yýldýz¹, Gökhan Çetinkal¹, Hakan Kilci¹, Nurcihan Çalýþkan², Elmas Biberci Keskin³, Kadriye Orta Kýlýçkesmez^1
1Department of Cardiology, Sisli Hamidiye Etfal Training and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey
²Department of Biochemistry, Sisli Hamidiye Etfal Training and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey
³Department of Internal Medicine, Bezmialem Vakif University Faculty of Medicine, Istanbul, Turkey

Objectives: Apelin is a recently discovered peptide that is expressed in many tissues particularly in the cardiovascular system and exerts several actions, most of which are vasodilatory and positive inotropic effects. Based on this, an apelin deficiency is believed to play a significant role in the development of hypertension and heart failure. However, the association of apelin with the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and especially plaque vulnerability remains unestablished. Thus, to contribute to the literature, in this study, we sought to determine the association of apelin concerning plaque vulnerability in the setting of the acute coronary syndrome.
Methods: In this study, we prospectively enrolled a total of 80 patients; 40 with acute coronary syndrome and 40 patients with stable chronic ischemic heart disease. Plasma apelin levels were measured in all patients along with other routine biochemical parameters, and all patients underwent a transthoracic echocardiographic examination.
Results: Plasma apelin levels were significantly lower in patients with the acute coronary syndrome (221.2±66.7 vs 254.3±77.9 p=0.04). However, there was no correlation between plasma apelin levels and serum inflammatory markers or coronary artery disease severity.
Conclusion: Low plasma apelin levels may create a tendency towards vulnerable plaque and acute coronary syndrome.

Keywords: Acute coronary syndrome, apelin; atherosclerosis; plaque vulnerability.

---

Plazma apelin düzeylerinin hassas plak ile iliþkisi

Kudret Keskin¹, Süleyman Sezai Yýldýz¹, Gökhan Çetinkal¹, Hakan Kilci¹, Nurcihan Çalýþkan², Elmas Biberci Keskin³, Kadriye Orta Kýlýçkesmez^1
1Þiþli Hamidiye Etfal Eðitim ve Araþtýrma Hastanesi, Kardiyoloj Kliniði, Ýstanbul
²Þiþli Hamidiye Etfal Eðitim ve Araþtýrma Hastanesi, Biyokimya Kliniði, Ýstanbul
³Bezmialem Vakýf Üniversitesi, Ýç Hastalýklarý Kliniði, Ýstanbul

Giriþ: Apelin, yakýn zamanda keþfedilen, baþta kardiovasküler sistem olmak üzere birçok dokuda yaygýn olarak bulunarak vazodilatatör ve pozitif inotropik etkiler gösteren bir peptiddir. Bu etkilerinden dolayý apelin eksikliðinin hipertansiyon ve kalp yetersizliðinin geliþminde önemli rolü olduðuna inanýlmaktadýr. Öte yandan apelinin ateroskleroz geliþminde ve özellikle hassas plak oluþumundaki yeri ise net bilinmemektdir. Dolayýsýyla bu çalýþmada akut koroner sendrom zemininde oluþan hassas plak ve apelin arasýndaki iliþkiyi araþtýrmayý amaçladýk.
Gereç ve yöntem: Çalýþmaya 40 akut koroner sendrom, 40 stabil koroner arter hastasý olmak üzere toplam 80 hasta alýndý. Tüm hastalarýn rutin biyokimyasal testleri yanýnda plazma apelin seviyeleri ölçüldü ve transtorasik ekokardiyografileri yapýldý.
Bulgular: Akut koroner sendromu olan hastalarýn plazma apelin seviyeleri belirgin olarak daha düþük bulundu (221.2±66.7 vs 254.3±77.9 p=0.04). Öte yandan, plazma apelin seviyesi ile serum enflamasyon belirteçleri ve koroner arter hastalýðýnýn yaygýnlýðý arasýnda iliþki saptanmadý.
Sonuç: Plazma apelin seviyesindeki düþüklük plak hassasiyetine ve akut koroner sendroma yatkýnlýk oluþturabilir.

Anahtar Kelimeler: akut koroner sendrom, apelin, ateroskleroz, hassas plak

---

CITE