Associations of pentraxin 3 with presence and severity of coronary artery disease in type 2 diabetes patients

Abstract

Objective: Pentraxin 3 (PTX3) and C-reactive protein (CRP) may be associated with development of diabetic vascular complications. In the current study we evaluated the relationship between PTX3 levels and the presence and severity of coronary artery disease (CAD) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Furthermore, we compared the sensitivity and specificity of PTX3 and CRP for detection of CAD. Methods: In 275 T2DM patients, coronary angiography revealed CAD (stenosis greater than or similar to 50% at least in one vessel) in 140 patients and 135 patients without CAD. Gensini score was used to assess the severity of CAD. Demographic parameters and biochemical characteristics were measured in all participants. Results: Log-transformed mean plasma PTX3 levels were higher in T2DM patients with CAD than in T2DM patients without CAD (2.42 ng/mL vs 1.98 ng/mL, p < 0.001). Pearson correlation showed PTX3 levels highly correlated with systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, low-density lipoprotein-cholestrol and age. However, in multivariate linear regression analysis only age and hypertension was significantly related to PTX3 levels. Simple linear correlation in CAD patients group showed that Gensini score significantly related to PTX3(r=0.421, p < 0.001) and CRP (r=0.187, p < 0.05). The area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve for PTX3 (0.0780, p < 0.001) was superior to that for hs-CRP (0.683, p < 0.001). Conclusion: The PTX3 is associated with the presence and severity of CAD in patients with T2DM. Futhermore, PTX3 is a better biomarker for detection of CAD thanCRP.