Serum Osteopontin Concentrations in Relation to Coronary Artery Disease

Background and AimsCoronary artery disease (CAD) is a common form of vascular disease and is associated with high mortality and morbidity globally. It has been suggested that serum osteopontin (OPN) may be a useful biomarker of atherosclerosis and vascular calcification. The aim of this study was to assess the association between serum OPN levels and severity of CAD.MethodsThree hundred and four subjects were studied, 111 with clinically significant angiographically defined CAD (CAD+) (>50% stenosis), 96 with negative angiography (CAD-) (<50% stenosis) and 97 healthy controls. Fasting blood samples were collected from all patients before coronary angiography and serum OPN levels were determined using ELISA.ResultsSerum concentrations of OPN were significantly higher in both CAD+ (72.99 [51.05–103.64]) and CAD- (11.11 [8.11–18.23]) (p = 0.001) groups compared with the control group (5.99 [4.26–7.91]) (p = 0.001). CAD+ subjects also had higher serum OPN levels compared with CAD-subjects (p = 0.001). However, OPN levels were comparable between subgroups of CAD+ subjects stratified according to the number of narrowed vessels in angiography.ConclusionsThe present results suggest a positive association between circulating OPN concentrations and the presence but not the extent of CAD.