Serum Osteopontin Concentrations in Relation to Coronary Artery Disease

Background And Aims: Coronary artery disease (CAD) is a common form of vascular disease and is associated with high mortality and morbidity globally. It has been suggested that serum osteopontin (OPN) may be a useful biomarker of atherosclerosis and vascular calcification. The aim of this study was to assess the association between serum OPN levels and severity of CAD.

Methods: Three hundred and four subjects were studied, 111 with clinically significant angiographically defined CAD (CAD+) (>50% stenosis), 96 with negative angiography (CAD-) (<50% stenosis) and 97 healthy controls. Fasting blood samples were collected from all patients before coronary angiography and serum OPN levels were determined using ELISA.

Results: Serum concentrations of OPN were significantly higher in both CAD+ (72.99 [51.05-103.64]) and CAD- (11.11 [8.11-18.23]) (p = 0.001) groups compared with the control group (5.99 [4.26-7.91]) (p = 0.001). CAD+ subjects also had higher serum OPN levels compared with CAD-subjects (p = 0.001). However, OPN levels were comparable between subgroups of CAD+ subjects stratified according to the number of narrowed vessels in angiography.

Conclusions: The present results suggest a positive association between circulating OPN concentrations and the presence but not the extent of CAD.