title: Circulating cell adhesion molecules are correlated with ultrasound-based assessment of carotid atherosclerosis.
abstract: Although cellular adhesion molecules (CAMs) are hypothesized to play an important role in atherogenesis, the relationship between CAMs and systemic atherosclerosis is uncertain. Among 92 outpatients (48 men; mean+/-SD age, 65+/-9 years), we evaluated the association of soluble vascular CAM-1 (sVCAM-1) and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (sICAM-1) with carotid intimal-medial thickness (IMT), an index of early atherosclerosis. All subjects underwent a 2-dimensional ultrasound examination of both carotid arteries at the distal common carotid arteries and bifurcation. sVCAM-1 and sICAM-1 levels measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay were significantly correlated with mean IMT of the common carotid artery (r=0.34 and r=0.30, respectively; P<0.01) and carotid bifurcation (r=0.31 and r=0.26, respectively; P<0.05), whereas sVCAM-1 was also positively associated with maximal carotid IMT (r=0.35, P<0.01). Adjustment for age attenuated the association between sVCAM-1 and common (r=0.16, P=0.13) and bifurcation (r=0.18, P=0.07) carotid IMT but had minimal effect on the associations between sICAM-1 and carotid measurements (r=0.32, P<0.01; r=0.23, P<0.05; for common and bifurcation IMT, respectively). Age-adjusted sICAM-1 levels increased in a stepwise fashion across common carotid IMT tertiles (253+/-27 versus 275+/-24 versus 384+/-26 pg/mL for the lowest, intermediate, and highest IMT tertiles, respectively; P<0.01). A similar trend was also found between sVCAM-1 levels and common carotid IMT tertiles (625+/-60 versus 650+/-53 versus 714+/-58 pg/mL; P<0.15). These associations were minimally affected in analyses adjusting for hypertension, diabetes, smoking, low and high density lipoprotein cholesterol, lipoprotein(a), and homocysteine, or in a subgroup analysis limited to those with no prior history of atherothrombotic disease. These data demonstrate a positive association between serum CAMs with carotid IMT and further support the hypothesis that systemic inflammation may have a role in atherosclerotic lesion development.
authors.affiliation: Cardiovascular Division, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: L E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Rohde
authors.forename: R T
authors.initials: RT
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rivero
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jamacochian
authors.forename: L H
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: Arroyo
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Briggs
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Rifai
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Libby
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Creager
authors.forename: P M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Ridker
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001161:Arteriosclerosis / Q000097:blood* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D002340:Carotid Artery Diseases / Q000097:blood* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D018799:Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1 / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D012995:Solubility; D014463:Ultrasonography; D019010:Vascular Cell Adhesion Molecule-1 / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D019010:Vascular Cell Adhesion Molecule-1; D018799:Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1