Association of serum fetuin-A with carotid arterial stiffness.
OBJECTIVE
Fetuin-A is a circulating glycoprotein which is well characterized as an inhibitor of ectopic calcification. Vascular calcification commonly found in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients is a predictor of cardiovascular death. Recently, several groups have demonstrated that low fetuin-A levels are associated with mortality in uraemic patients, possibly through regulation of vascular calcification. However, the physiological significance of fetuin-A in atherosclerosis remains unknown, except in specific conditions, such as vascular calcification in CKD patients. The objective of this study was to investigate the association between serum fetuin-A levels and arterial stiffness, a functional property of atherosclerosis, in healthy subjects.


METHODS
The study subjects comprised 141 healthy subjects. We measured serum fetuin-A levels and stiffness parameter beta for the common carotid artery, which was assessed by ultrasound using a phase-locked echo-tracking system.


RESULTS
Simple regression analyses indicated that serum fetuin-A levels were significantly correlated with stiffness parameter beta (r = 0.200, P = 0.018). Multiple regression analyses showed that, besides age, fetuin-A (beta = 0.166, P = 0.033) independently contribute to the stiffness parameter beta (R(2) = 0.310, P < 0.0001).


CONCLUSIONS
Serum fetuin-A level is associated with carotid arterial stiffness, independent of known atherogenic factors in healthy subjects.
Mori
Katsuhito
K
Metabolism, Endocrinology and Molecular Medicine, Osaka City University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan. ktmori@med.osaka-cu.ac.jp
Emoto
Masanori
M
Araki
Takahiro
T
Yokoyama
Hisayo
H
Teramura
Megumi
M
Lee
Eiko
E
Motoyama
Koka
K
Koyama
Hidenori
H
Shoji
Tetsuo
T
Inaba
Masaaki
M
Nishizawa
Yoshiki
Y
D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D001794:Blood Pressure; D002114:Calcinosis / Q000097:blood / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology; D002340:Carotid Artery Diseases / Q000097:blood* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology; D017536:Carotid Artery, Common / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012044:Regression Analysis; D014463:Ultrasonography; D000509:alpha-Fetoproteins / Q000032:analysis*
D015415:Biomarkers; D000509:alpha-Fetoproteins