title: Abdominal aortic aneurysm: association between haptoglobin phenotypes, elastase activity, and neutrophil count in the peripheral blood.
abstract: To investigate the role of genetic factors on susceptibility to atherosclerotic arterial disease, the influence of haptoglobin phenotypes (Hp) on serum elastase activity, neutrophil count, and elastin concentration in the aorta was measured in patients with abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA; n=52) and aortoiliac atherosclerotic occlusive disease (AOD; n=37). Findings (serum elastase activity, peripheral blood neutrophil count) were compared to a control group (CG) of 37 subjects without atherosclerosis. Hp phenotyping performed by starch-gel electrophoresis produced a haptoglobin-hemoglobin complex of three phenotypes: Hp1-1, Hp2-2, and Hp2-1. Distribution of Hp phenotypes was similar in the three study groups (AAA, AOD, CG). Significant increases in serum elastase activity and neutrophil count was measured in Hp2-1 phenotype of AAA patients. Although the aorta wall of aneurysm patients contained less (p<0.001) elastin than that of AOD patients, no significant difference of aorta elastin concentration between the three Hp phenotypes, including Hp2-1, was measured. The postulated association of AAA susceptibility with Hp2-1 phenotype was supported by the study data that demonstrated an increase in serum elastase activity in patients undergoing AAA repair.
authors.affiliation: Department of General and Vascular Surgery, Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin, Al. Powstańców Wielkopolskich 72, 70-111 Szczecin, Poland.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Wiernicki
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gutowski
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ciechanowski
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Millo
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Wieczorek
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cnotliwy
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Michalak
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hamera
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Piatek
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D017544:Aortic Aneurysm, Abdominal / Q000097:blood*; D001024:Aortic Valve Stenosis / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006242:Haptoglobins / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009504:Neutrophils / Q000166:cytology; D010196:Pancreatic Elastase / Q000378:metabolism; D010641:Phenotype; D011044:Poland
chemical_list: D006242:Haptoglobins; D010196:Pancreatic Elastase