Are soluble ST2 levels influenced by vitamin D and/or the seasons?

• Published in: Endocrine Connections 2019-06, Vol.8 (6), p.691-700
• Main Authors: Francic, Vito, Keppel, Martin, Schwetz, Verena, Trummer, Christian, Pandis, Marlene, Borzan, Valentin, Grübler, Martin R, Verheyen, Nicolas D, Kleber, Marcus E, Delgado, Graciela, Moissl, Angela P, Dieplinger, Benjamin, März, Winfried, Tomaschitz, Andreas, Pilz, Stefan, Obermayer-Pietsch, Barbara
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: biomarker; cardiovascular disease; seasonality; soluble ST2; vitamin D
• ISSN: 2049-3614; 2049-3614
• DOI: 10.1530/EC-19-0090

Objective Cardiovascular disease manifestation and several associated surrogate markers, such as vitamin D, have shown substantial seasonal variation. A promising cardiovascular biomarker, soluble ST2 (sST2), has not been investigated in this regard – we therefore determined if systemic levels of sST2 are affected by seasonality and/or vitamin D in order to investigate their clinical interrelation and usability. Design sST2 levels were measured in two cohorts involving hypertensive patients at cardiovascular risk, the Styrian Vitamin D Hypertension Trial (study A; RCT design, 8 weeks 2800 IU cholecalciferol daily) and the Ludwigshafen Risk and Cardiovascular Health Study (LURIC; study B; cross-sectional design). Methods The effects of a vitamin D intervention on sST2 levels were determined in study A using ANCOVA, while seasonality of sST2 levels was determined in study B using ANOVA. Results The concentrations of sST2 remained unchanged by a vitamin D intervention in study A, with a mean treatment effect (95% confidence interval) of 0.1 (−0.6 to 0.8) ng/mL; P = 0.761), despite a rise in 25(OH)D (11.3 (9.2–13.5) ng/mL; P