title: Circulating Anti-Elastin Antibody Levels and Arterial Disease Characteristics: Associations with Arterial Stiffness and Atherosclerosis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Elastin is a major arterial structural protein, and elastin-derived peptides are related to arterial change. We previously reported on a novel assay developed using aortic elastin peptides; however, its clinical implications remain unclear. In this study, we assessed whether anti-elastin antibody titers reflect the risk of coronary artery disease (CAD) or its characteristics.
  
  
  METHODS
  We included 174 CAD patients and 171 age- and sex-matched controls. Anti-elastin antibody titers were quantified by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Parameters of arterial stiffness, including the augmentation index (AI) and heart-to-femoral pulse wave velocity (hfPWV), were measured non-invasively. The clinical and angiographic characteristics of CAD patients were also evaluated. Associations between anti-elastin levels and vascular characteristics were examined by linear regression analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The median blood level of anti-elastin was significantly lower in the CAD group than in the controls [197 arbitrary unit (a.u.) vs. 63 a.u., p<0.001]. Levels of anti-elastin were significantly lower in men and in subjects with hypertension, diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia, or high hfPWV. Nevertheless, anti-elastin levels were not dependent on atherothrombotic events or the angiographic severity of CAD. In a multivariate analysis, male sex (β=-0.38, p<0.001), diabetes mellitus (β=-0.62, p<0.001), hyperlipidemia (β=-0.29, p<0.001), and AI (β=-0.006, p=0.02) were ultimately identified as determinants of anti-elastin levels.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Lower levels of anti-elastin are related to CAD. The association between antibody titers and CAD is linked to arterial stiffness rather than the advancement of atherosclerosis.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Seung-Hyun
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Medical Science and Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Daejeon, Korea; Department of Dermatology, School of Medicine, Pusan National University, Busan, Korea.
authors.forename: Kihyuk
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Shin
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.|Cardiovascular Research Institute, Yonsei University Health System, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Sungha
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.|Cardiovascular Research Institute, Yonsei University Health System, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Seok-Min
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.|Cardiovascular Research Institute, Yonsei University Health System, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Donghoon
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Medical Science and Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Daejeon, Korea. seung-hyo.lee@kaist.ac.kr.
authors.forename: Seung-Hyo
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.|Cardiovascular Research Institute, Yonsei University Health System, Seoul, Korea. shl1106@yuhs.ac.
authors.forename: Sang-Hak
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000792:Angiography; D000906:Antibodies / Q000097:blood*; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology*; D004549:Elastin / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006949:Hyperlipidemias; D006973:Hypertension / Q000150:complications; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D063177:Pulse Wave Analysis; D059289:Vascular Stiffness / Q000276:immunology* / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D000906:Antibodies; D004549:Elastin
keywords: Elastin; antibody formation; atherosclerosis; coronary artery disease; vascular stiffness