title: [Relationship between plasma asymmetrical dimethylarginine and coronary artery disease].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate whether the plasma asymmetrical dimethylarginine (ADMA) level correlates with the extent and severity of coronary atherosclerosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  110 consecutive patients undergoing coronary angiography were divided into five groups according to the result thereof: control group (n = 22, with normal coronary artery), mild coronary artery disease (CAD) group (n = 21, with stenosis < 50% of the major coronary arteries), single branch CAD group III (n = 22, with stenosis >/= 50% of one major coronary artery); double branch CAD group IV (n = 23, with stenosis >/= 50% of two major coronary arteries); and multi-branch CAD group (n = 22, with significant stenosis >/= 50% of more than two major coronary arteries or companies with stenosis of left major coronary). ELISA was used to detect the plasma ADMA. Nitric acid reductase method and colorimetry were used to measure the levels of plasma nitric oxide (NO) and nitrogen oxide synthase (NOS). The relationship between the plasma ADMA and severity of CAD was analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The plasma ADMA levels of in last three a groups were 1.52 micromol/L +/- 0.61 micromol/L, 1.67 micromol/L +/- 0.80 micromol/L, and 2.60 micromol/L +/- 0.62 micromol/L all significantly higher than that of the control group (0.79 micromol/L +/- 0.54 micromol/L, P < 0.01). The plasma NO and NOS levels of the multi-branch CAD group were significantly lower than those of the other groups (all P < 0.01), and there were not significant differences in Plasma NO and NOS levels among the other groups. Multivariate stepwise logistic regression analysis showed that the plasma ADMA level was significantly positively correlated with the severity of coronary atherosclerosis (r = 0.684, P = 0.007) and total cholesterol and triglyceride (r = 0.623 and 0.536 respectively), and significantly negatively correlated with the NO and NOS levels (r = -0.709 and -0.701 respectively).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Correlated significantly with the severity of coronary atherosclerosis, the plasma ADMA level may become a novel marker of CAD.
authors.affiliation: Second Ward, Department of Craniological Medicine, First Clinical College, Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150001, China.
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Song
authors.forename: Xiu-fen
authors.initials: XF
authors.lastname: Qu
authors.forename: Yan-wei
authors.initials: YW
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Tian-zhu
authors.initials: TZ
authors.lastname: Luan
authors.forename: Jing-jie
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Hong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.forename: Yang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yu
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001120:Arginine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000097:blood*; D017023:Coronary Angiography; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000097:blood* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000097:blood; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase / Q000097:blood