Association of plasma PCSK9 levels with white blood cell count and its subsets in patients with stable coronary artery disease.
OBJECTIVE
Recent studies have suggested that proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) is associated with atherosclerosis and plays a potential role in inflammation. However, the correlation between PCSK9 and white blood cell count (WBCC) has not yet been assessed. The objective of the present study was to examine the association of the WBCC and its subset counts with plasma PCSK9 levels in patients with stable coronary artery disease (CAD).


METHODS
In this cross-sectional study, a total of 251 consecutive, stable CAD patients who were not treated with lipid-lowering drugs were enrolled at our center between October 2012 and October 2013. The baseline clinical characteristics were collected, and the plasma PCSK9 levels were determined using ELISA. The associations of plasma PCSK9 levels with the WBCC and its subsets were investigated.


RESULTS
In the overall population, plasma PCSK9 levels were positively associated with the WBCC (r = 0.167, p = 0.008). Multivariable regression analysis revealed that the plasma PCSK9 levels were significantly and independently associated with the WBCC (β = 0.217, p < 0.001) and its subsets (neutrophil β = 0.152, p < 0.05; lymphocyte β = 0.241, p < 0.001). However, the relationships between PCSK9 and WBCC and its subsets remained significant in men (WBCC r = 0.234, p = 0.001; neutrophil r = 0.181, p = 0.014; lymphocyte r = 0.226, p = 0.002) but were not significant in women when the analysis was performed based on gender.


CONCLUSIONS
These data demonstrate that the plasma PCSK9 levels are independently associated with the WBCC and its subsets, suggesting a potential interaction between PCSK9 and chronic inflammation in patients with CAD.
Division of Dyslipidemia, State Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Disease, Fu Wai Hospital, National Center for Cardiovascular Diseases, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, BeiLiShi Road 167, Beijing 100037, China.
Sha
S
Li
Division of Dyslipidemia, State Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Disease, Fu Wai Hospital, National Center for Cardiovascular Diseases, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, BeiLiShi Road 167, Beijing 100037, China.
Yuan-Lin
YL
Guo
Division of Dyslipidemia, State Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Disease, Fu Wai Hospital, National Center for Cardiovascular Diseases, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, BeiLiShi Road 167, Beijing 100037, China.
Rui-Xia
RX
Xu
Division of Dyslipidemia, State Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Disease, Fu Wai Hospital, National Center for Cardiovascular Diseases, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, BeiLiShi Road 167, Beijing 100037, China.
Yan
Y
Zhang
Division of Dyslipidemia, State Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Disease, Fu Wai Hospital, National Center for Cardiovascular Diseases, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, BeiLiShi Road 167, Beijing 100037, China.
Cheng-Gang
CG
Zhu
Division of Dyslipidemia, State Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Disease, Fu Wai Hospital, National Center for Cardiovascular Diseases, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, BeiLiShi Road 167, Beijing 100037, China.
Jing
J
Sun
Division of Dyslipidemia, State Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Disease, Fu Wai Hospital, National Center for Cardiovascular Diseases, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, BeiLiShi Road 167, Beijing 100037, China.
Ping
P
Qing
Division of Dyslipidemia, State Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Disease, Fu Wai Hospital, National Center for Cardiovascular Diseases, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, BeiLiShi Road 167, Beijing 100037, China.
Na-Qiong
NQ
Wu
Division of Dyslipidemia, State Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Disease, Fu Wai Hospital, National Center for Cardiovascular Diseases, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, BeiLiShi Road 167, Beijing 100037, China.
Li-Xin
LX
Jiang
Division of Dyslipidemia, State Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Disease, Fu Wai Hospital, National Center for Cardiovascular Diseases, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, BeiLiShi Road 167, Beijing 100037, China. Electronic address: 13901010368@163.com.
Jian-Jun
JJ
Li
D000368:Aged; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002681:China; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000201:enzymology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D000071449:Proprotein Convertase 9; D043484:Proprotein Convertases / Q000097:blood*; D012307:Risk Factors; D012697:Serine Endopeptidases / Q000097:blood*
D015415:Biomarkers; C472125:PCSK9 protein, human; D000071449:Proprotein Convertase 9; D043484:Proprotein Convertases; D012697:Serine Endopeptidases
Coronary artery disease; Proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9; White blood cell count