β2-microglobulin, a novel biomarker of peripheral arterial disease, independently predicts aortic stiffness in these patients

Abstract

Arterial stiffness is a prominent feature of vascular ageing and strongly predicts cardiovascular and total mortality. The β2-microglobulin, (β2M) a newly identified biomarker of peripheral arterial disease (PAD), is related to renal insufficiency, inflammatory and neoplastic diseases, but may also play a role in vascular dysfunction. However, the relationship between arterial stiffness and β2M has not been previously studied in patients with atherosclerosis. In the present study we examined a possible association between β2M and arterial stiffness in patients with PAD and in healthy subjects. Plasma β2M levels and parameters of arterial stiffness such as aortic pulse wave velocity (aPWV) and augmentation index (AIx) were measured in 66 patients with PAD and in 66 apparently healthy subjects. Plasma levels of β2M, aPWV and AIx were significantly increased in patients with PAD compared with controls (1858.1 ± 472.8 vs 1554.5 ± 277.9 μg/L, p < 0.001; 9.9 ± 2.2 m/s vs 7.6 ± 1.6 m/s, p < 0.001; 28 ± 8 vs 14 ± 11%, p < 0.001; respectively). There existed significant correlation between aPWV and β2M for the patient group (R = 0.47; p < 0.001), but not for the controls (R = 0.14; p = 0.26). In multivariate analysis, β2M remained independently associated with aPWV, fetuin-A, age and glomerular filtration rate in patients (R(2) = 0.5, p < 0.001). We found no relationship between β2M and AIx in either group. We demonstrated that among patients with PAD elevated plasma β2M levels were associated with higher aortic stiffness irrespective of cardiovascular disease risk factors. These data suggest that β2M may influence the pathogenesis of aortic stiffness in atherosclerosis.

A Review of the Pathophysiology and Potential Biomarkers for Peripheral Artery Disease

“…Plasma B2M levels and parameters of arterial stiffness such as aortic pulse wave velocity and augmentation index have been reported to be significantly increased in PAD patients [67]. Some studies have shown that combining these circulating markers of inflammation and atherosclerosis with clinical parameters may improve the identification of PAD patients [65,66,71].…”

The relationship between pulse waveform analysis indices, endothelial function and clinical outcomes in patients with peripheral artery disease treated using percutaneous transluminal angioplasty during a one-year follow-up period

“…Several tools have been proven to accurately indicate peripheral atherosclerosis, beginning with markers of endothelial dysfunction expressed as flow-mediated dilatation (FMD), reactive-hyperemia index (RHI) or arterial pulse-waveform analysis (aPWA) indices and ending in clinically apparent lower limb atherosclerosis assessed by the ankle-brachial index (ABI) or toe-brachial index (TBI), finally proven by arterial angiography or arterial computed tomography [1][2][3][4][5]. Nowadays, most patients with clinically symptomatic lower limb atherosclerosis are treated with percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA).…”

Effects of Heat Acclimation on Changes in Oxidative Stress and Inflammation Caused by Endurance Capacity Test in the Heat

“…We have recently demonstrated that heat acclimation (HA) improves arterial elasticity [20], which has been shown to be directly linked to OxS [21] and inflammation [22]. However, there are no published reports about the impact of HA on OxS and inflammation induced by exhaustive exercise in the heat.…”