Clinical Science (2006) 111, 319-324 - M. Kurata and others - Osteopontin and carotid atherosclerosis

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Clinical Science (2006) 111, (319–324) (Printed in Great Britain)

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Osteopontin and carotid atherosclerosis in patients with essential hypertension

Mie KURATA, Takafumi OKURA, Sanae WATANABE, Tomikazu FUKUOKA and Jitsuo HIGAKI

The Second Department of Internal Medicine, Ehime University School of Medicine, Shitsukawa, Toon City, Ehime, 791-0295, Japan

Key words: aldosterone, atherosclerosis, inflammation, carotid arteries, osteopontin, ultrasound.

Abbreviations: CAD, coronary artery disease; CCA, common carotid artery; CV, coefficient of variation; DBP, diastolic blood pressure; EHT, essential hypertension; HbA_1c, glycated haemoglobin; HDL, high-density lipoprotein; IMT, intima-media thickness; LDL, low-density lipoprotein; MCP-1, monocyte chemotactic protein-1; MR, mineralocorticoid receptor; OPN, osteopontin; PP, pulse pressure; SBP, systolic blood pressure; V_d, diastolic flow velocity; V_s, systolic flow velocity; VSMC, vascular smooth muscle cell.

OPN (osteopontin), a pro-inflammatory cytokine, has recently emerged as a key factor in both vascular remodelling and the development of atherosclerosis. However, the relationship between OPN and atherosclerosis in patients without symptomatic cardiovascular disease is not clear. Therefore we measured plasma OPN levels and evaluated the correlation between plasma OPN levels and atherosclerosis as target organ damage in patients with EHT (essential hypertension). Plasma OPN levels were measured in 76 patients with EHT using a solid-phase sandwich ELISA. IMT (intima-media thickness), and V_d and V_s (mean diastolic and systolic flow velocities respectively) were evaluated by carotid ultrasound. The V_d/V_s ratio, an index of peripheral arterial resistance, was also calculated. The patients were divided on the basis of median OPN levels into a high-OPN group and a low-OPN group. The mean IMT and aldosterone levels were higher (P=0.024 and 0.031 respectively) and V_d/V_s was lower (P=0.007) in the high-OPN group than in the low-OPN group. Plasma OPN levels were positively correlated with mean IMT (r=0.308, P=0.0068) and negatively with V_d/V_s (r=-0.293, P=0.010). Stepwise regression analysis revealed that OPN was an independent determinant of mean IMT (P=0.007) and V_d/V_s (P=0.009), and aldosterone was an independent determinant of OPN. These results suggest that OPN plays a role in the development of atherosclerosis and may be a potential clinical marker for the prediction of atherosclerosis in patients with EHT.