Soluble endoglin reflects endothelial dysfunction in myocardial infarction patients: a retrospective observational study

Acute manifestations of ischemic heart disease are among the most serious and fatal consequences of atherosclerotic processes. In this study, we hypothesized that a soluble proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9), soluble bone morphogenetic protein 4 (BMP-4), soluble E-selectin (sE-selectin), soluble endoglin (sENG) and soluble endocan (Endocan) would differ from healthy controls in myocardial infarction (MI) patients admitted to the hospital without any previous history of cardiovascular disease and with no cardioprotective drugs taken before admission. The study was conducted using a cross-sectional design. We analyzed data from 79 patients (mean age 54.1 ± 8.9, 18% of women) admitted for the first manifestation of MI and with no history of cardioprotective treatment use before the event. As a control group, we analyzed 17 age-matched healthy volunteers (mean age 51.5 ± 8.6, 47% of women). In addition to routinely obtaining clinical and laboratory data, we analyzed plasma concentrations of the aforementioned biomarkers using ELISA and Luminex analyses. Patients with MI did not differ from healthy controls in total cholesterol, LDL, non-HDL, and triglyceride levels. PCSK9, BMP-4, and sE-selectin levels did not differ significantly between the MI and the control group. Patients with MI had significantly higher sENG and Endocan levels than the control group. In addition, levels of sENG were significantly higher in patients with higher body mass index (BMI) and in smokers. We demonstrated that sENG could serve as a biomarker reflecting endothelial dysfunction in MI patients without prior treatment for cardiovascular risk factors.