Elevated plasma human urotensin-II-like immunoreactivity in ischemic cardiomyopathy

• Published in: International journal of cardiology 2004-03, Vol.94 (1), p.93-97
• Main Authors: Lapp, Harald, Boerrigter, Guido, Costello-Boerrigter, Lisa C., Jaekel, Karsten, Scheffold, Thomas, Krakau, Ingo, Schramm, Matthias, Guelker, Hartmut, Stasch, Johannes-Peter
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Atherosclerosis; Atherosclerosis (general aspects, experimental research); Biological and medical sciences; Biomarkers - blood; Blood and lymphatic vessels; Cardiology. Vascular system; Cardiomyopathy, Dilated - blood; Cardiomyopathy, Dilated - physiopathology; Cluster Analysis; Coronary Artery Disease - physiopathology; Female; Heart; Heart - physiopathology; Heart failure; Heart failure, cardiogenic pulmonary edema, cardiac enlargement; Humans; Ischemic cardiomyopathy; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Myocarditis. Cardiomyopathies; Urotensin II; Urotensins - blood
• ISSN: 0167-5273; 1874-1754
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijcard.2003.05.008

Background: The recently discovered, vasoactive, cyclic undecapeptide human urotensin-II (hU-II), and its G-protein coupled receptor (GPR14) are both expressed in the human cardiovascular system. Little is known about the pathophysiological relevance of hU-II. We hypothesised that circulating hU-II is elevated in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) corresponding to the degree of cardiac dysfunction. Methods: 38 patients were diagnosed with coronary artery disease by left heart catheterization, and their functional status was classified according to the New York Heart Association (NYHA). hU-II-like immunoreactivity (hU-II-LI) was measured using a novel specific and sensitive enzyme-linked immunoassay. Calculations were performed with log-transformed hU-II-LI values. Results: hU-II-LI correlated positively with left ventricular end diastolic pressure (LVEDP) ( r=0.32, P=0.05) and tended to correlate inversely with left ventricular ejection fraction (LV-EF) ( r=−0.31, P=0.061). There was a positive correlation between hU-II-LI and NYHA class ( r=0.53, P=0.001). Circulating hU-II-LI was significantly higher in patients with NYHA class III (4822±723 pg/ml, N=13) than in patients with class I (1884±642 pg/ml, N=9, P=0.007) or class II (2294±426 pg/ml, N=15, P=0.046). There was no difference between classes I and II ( P=0.83). Furthermore, hU-II-LI correlated significantly with B-type natriuretic peptide, a marker for heart failure ( r=0.40, P=0.025). In a linear regression analysis, NYHA class was the only significant independent predictor of hU-II-LI. Conclusions: The present study demonstrates that plasma hU-II-LI rises significantly in proportion to parameters of cardiac dysfunction and functional impairment in patients with coronary artery disease. These results suggest a pathophysiological role for hU-II in cardiac disease and warrant further investigation.