Growth differentiation factor-15 as a biomarker of atherosclerotic coronary plaque: Value in people living with and without HIV
Year: 2022
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Background Increased rates of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and larger subclinical high-risk coronary plaques in coronary CT angiography have been observed in people living with HIV (PLWH) treated with antiretroviral therapy (ART) compared to HIV-uninfected people. Growth differentiation factor-15 (GDF-15) is a cytokine emerging as an optimal marker for CVD in the general population. Methods We cross-sectionally analyzed plasma of 95 PLWH on ART and 52 controls. We measured GDF-15, fibroblast growth factor-21 (FGF-21), glucagon-like peptide-2 (GLP-2), soluble urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (suPAR), CRP, and anti-CMV and anti-EBV IgG levels. All participants had no clinical CVD and underwent coronary CT angiography with the 3D reconstruction of coronary artery atherosclerotic plaques. Total plaque volume (TPV) and low attenuation plaque volume (LAPV, defined as density <30 Hounsfield Units) were calculated (mm3). Results In both PLWH and controls, GDF-15 levels were increased in participants with presence of coronary plaque vs. without (p = 0.04 and p < 0.001, respectively) and correlated with TPV (r = 0.27, p = 0.009 and r = 0.62, p < 0.001, respectively) and LAPV (r = 0.28, p = 0.008, r = 0.60, p < 0.001, respectively). However, in a multivariate model, GDF-15 was independently associated with LAPV in controls only (adjusted OR 35.1, p = 0.04) and not in PLWH, mainly due to confounding by smoking. Other markers were not independently associated with plaque volume, except for anti-EBV IgGs in controls (adjusted OR 3.51, p = 0.02). Conclusion In PLWH, GDF-15 and smoking seemed to synergistically contribute to coronary plaque volume. Conversely, increased GDF-15 levels were associated with the presence of coronary artery plaques in people without HIV, independently of CV risk factors.
Institutions: McGill University Health Centre, University Hospital of Geneva, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, CIHR Pan-Canadian Network for HIV and STBBI Clinical Trials Research, Montreal Heart Institute, Centre Hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas en Retrovirus y Sida
Language: English
Subfield: Infectious Diseases
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,490
Funders: National Science Foundation, Pfizer, Styrelsen för Internationellt Utvecklingssamarbete, Canadian Foundation for AIDS Research, McGill University, Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung, National Institutes of Health, Canadian Institutes of Health Research, National Institute on Aging
Awards: Conference: 'Landscapes, identities, imaginary: towards an anthropology of the gaze', G2205082553, G2490515466, G2580917730, What is the role of fish intestine as environment-organism barrier? Mechanistic investigations using fish intestinal cells on a chip, G3518280698, G4061946688, G4258467293, G4359273546, Economy, Society, Justice Free Market: Means or End?, G555643679, G5658477894, G5865034768, G5942398643, G6395272740, G7118422357, G7172262273, G7178236854, G7337666486, G762367868, G8182731862, Immunosuppressive pathways and HIV reservoirs in tissues, Role of IL-32 as a predictor and mediator of Premature Aging Phenotypes(PAP) in HIV infection.
OpenAlex ID: W4293224403