title: Serum chitotriosidase activity in patients with coronary artery disease.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Atherosclerosis is considered to be an inflammatory disease in which the initial process is augmented infiltration of monocytes into the vessel wall and their subsequent differentiation from macrophages into lipid-laden foam cells. Chitotriosidase is one of the most quantitative proteins secreted by activated macrophages, so the aim of this study was to investigate the association of the level of serum chitotriosidase activity with atherosclerotic coronary artery disease (CAD).
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 200 subjects undergoing coronary angiography were divided into 4 subgroups according to the number of diseased vessels and their serum chitotriosidase activity levels were measured. Serum chitotriosidase activity in patients with CAD was significantly higher than in normal control subjects (p<0.001). Serum chitotriosidase activity was also significantly associated with the extent of CAD as defined by the number of stenosed vessels (p<0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Serum chitotriosidase activity can be considered a strong inflammatory marker of CAD. Moreover, plasma chitotriosidase activity may be also regarded as a quantitative indicator of disease extent, as well as being a marker of disease presence.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Cerrahpasa School of Medicine, Istanbul University, Istanbul, Turkey. karadag@istanbul.edu.tr
authors.forename: Bilgehan
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Karadag
authors.forename: Mine
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kucur
authors.forename: Ferruh K
authors.initials: FK
authors.lastname: Isman
authors.forename: Munire
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hacibekiroglu
authors.forename: Vural A
authors.initials: VA
authors.lastname: Vural
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000201:enzymology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D017023:Coronary Angiography; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000201:enzymology; D005260:Female; D006596:Hexosaminidases / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000175:diagnosis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged
chemical_list: D006596:Hexosaminidases; C086400:chitotriosidase