Plasma soluble vascular adhesion protein-1 concentration correlates with arterial stiffness: A cross-sectional study

• Plasma sVAP-1 is an independent determinant of arterial stiffness in older subjects of age ≥60 years.
• Plasma sVAP-1 concentration increases with age.
• sVAP-1 may play an important role in age-associated arterial stiffness (vascular aging).

BackgroundArterial stiffness is related to inflammation, oxidative stress, advanced glycation end products (AGEs), and endothelial dysfunction. Vascular adhesion protein-1 (VAP-1) is both as an adhesion molecule involving in inflammation and as an amine oxidase producing aldehyde and hydrogen peroxide involved in protein cross-linking, oxidative stress and endothelial injury.ObjectiveWe explored the associations of plasma soluble VAP-1 (sVAP-1) with arterial stiffness.DesignCross-sectional study.SettingHealth Examination Center at the General Hospital of the Air Force in Beijing, China.Subjects568 Han Chinese healthy persons living in Beijing (aged 50.7 ± 8.0 years).MethodssVAP-1 concentration was assessed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Arterial stiffness was measured as brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) on both left and right sides of the examinees, and the larger and the mean values were recorded. Cardiovascular risk factors were investigated.ResultssVAP-1 was significantly associated with maximal or mean baPWV in subjects of age≥60 years after adjusting for baPWV-related confounders (β = 36.922, p < 0.05 or β = 32.512, p < 0.05) or after adjusting for all the variables (β = 37.924, p < 0.05 or β = 33.193, p < 0.05), but not in subjects of age <60 years. sVAP-1 had an independent and positive correlation with age (r = 0.222, p < 0.001).ConclusionsPlasma sVAP-1, increased with age, is associated with arterial stiffness in older individuals. VAP-1 may be important mechanism for vascular aging.