Potential role of platelet-derived growth factor D in atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease risk

A considerable residual cardiovascular risk persists despite contemporary therapies, highlighting the urgent need to identify potential targets for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) onset and progression. Accumulating evidence suggests that platelet-derived growth factor D (PDGFD) may be involved in the development of ASCVD. Herein, we leveraged 20-year longitudinal data from the Chinese Multi-provincial Cohort Study-Proteomics Project, with up to four repeated PDGFD measurements per participant, to estimate the serum PDGFD-ASCVD association. We then emulated the effectiveness of hypothetical reductions in PDGFD serum levels on ASCVD prevention. Our findings suggest that elevated circulating PDGFD levels are associated with higher ASCVD risk and that hypothetical PDGFD-lowering strategies may be associated with reduced long-term ASCVD risk, with an estimated absolute risk reduction of up to approximately 9% under the most intensive intervention scenario. We anticipate that these findings may motivate further investigation of PDGFD-lowering strategies as a potential approach for ASCVD risk reduction.