Prediction of coronary vulnerable plaque by plasma pentraxin 3

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 24790767
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Circulatory organs internal medicine
• Research Institution: Nagasaki University
• Principal Investigator: KOGA Seiji 長崎大学, 病院(医学系), 助教 (00398158)
• Research Collaborator: MAEMURA Koji 長崎大学, 医歯薬学総合研究科(医学系), 教授 (90282649) ; IKEDA Satoshi 長崎大学, 医歯薬学総合研究科(医学系), 講師 (10336159)
• Project Period (FY): 2012-04-01 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: 不安定プラーク / バイオマーカー / 急性冠症候群 / 炎症

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Acute coronary syndrome is triggered by rupture of coronary vulnerable plaque, but biomarkers predicting it are not established. Recently, pentraxin 3 (PTX3) has been shown to be a novel biomarker specific to vascular inflammation. The aim of this study was to clarify whether plasma PTX3 level could predict the existence of rupture prone vulnerable plaque.
We compared circulating PTX3 level with coronary plaque characteristics assessed by optical coherence tomography (OCT) and radio frequency signal analysis-intravascular ultrasound (RF-IVUS). We demonstrated that circulation PTX3 level was associated with the presence of thin-cap fibroatheroma, which is a primary type of vulnerable plaque, determined by OCT, and plaque components including greater necrotic tissue and smaller fibrotic tissue determined by RF-IVUS.
In conclusion, circulating PTX3 is a potent biomarker which can predict the presence of coronary vulnerable plaque.

Free Research Field

循環器内科学