J Lipid Atheroscler.  2018 Jun;7(1):42-49. 10.12997/jla.2018.7.1.42.

Relationship between Circulating FGF21 Concentrations and the Severity of Coronary Artery Damage in Subjects with Cardiovascular Disease

• Park SD
• Bae KH
• Choi YK
• Jeon JH
• Seo JB
• Kim N
• Kim CY
• Kim SW
• Lee WK
• Kim JG
• Lee IK
• Lee JH
• Park KG

• KMID: 2416257
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.12997/jla.2018.7.1.42

Abstract

OBJECTIVE
Fibroblast growth factor (FGF) 21 is a recently established therapeutic target for treating metabolic syndromes, which include potential precursors to cardiovascular disease, suggesting a link between FGF21 and atherosclerosis. However, the association between serum FGF21 concentrations and coronary artery disease remain controversial. The aim of this study is to evaluate the association between circulating FGF21 concentrations and coronary artery lesions and clinical severity.
METHODS
We enrolled 137 subjects who underwent coronary angiography, due to suspected acute coronary syndrome (ACS), from December 2009 to July 2012. Serum FGF21 levels were measured. Coronary artery lesions and clinical severities of the subjects were evaluated using the SYNergy between percutaneous coronary intervention with (paclitaxel-eluting) TAXus stent and cardiac surgery (SYNTAX) and Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events (GRACE) scoring system, respectively.
RESULTS
After adjusting for established cardiovascular disease risk factors, including age, body mass index, total cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, patients with coronary artery lesions (n=112 men) had significantly higher levels of FGF21 than individuals without such lesions (n=25; men) (377.1±20.1 pg/mL vs. 267.1±43.5 pg/mL; p=0.026). However, no correlations were found between serum levels of FGF21 and either the calculated STNTAX score (r=0.117; p=0.176) or GRACE risk score, which is a risk prediction tool applicable for ACS subjects (r=0.113; p=0.193).
CONCLUSION
Although serum levels of FGF21 were higher in individuals with coronary lesions than in those without such lesions, FGF21 levels were not associated with angiographic severity.

Keyword

Fibroblast growth factor 21; Cardiovascular diseases; SYNTAX score; GRACE score

MeSH Terms

Acute Coronary Syndrome
Atherosclerosis
Body Mass Index
Cardiovascular Diseases*
Cholesterol
Coronary Angiography
Coronary Artery Disease
Coronary Vessels*
Fibroblast Growth Factors
Humans
Lipoproteins
Percutaneous Coronary Intervention
Risk Factors
Stents
Taxus
Thoracic Surgery
Cholesterol
Fibroblast Growth Factors
Lipoproteins

Figure

• 

  Fig. 1 Correlation between serum FGF21 concentrations and SYNTAX and GRACE scores. (A) Determination of the correlation between serum FGF21 levels and angiographic lesion severity, defined by the SYNTAX score. A Pearson correlation coefficient of 0.117 indicated no significant correlation (p=0.176). (B) Determination of the correlation between serum FGF21 levels and the risk of mortality, defined by the GRACE score. A Pearson correlation coefficient of 0.113 indicated no significant correlation (p=0.193). FGF; fibroblast growth factor, SYNTAX; SYNergy between percutaneous coronary intervention with (paclitaxel-eluting) TAXus stent and cardiac surgery, GRACE; Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events.

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