Associations between plasma osteopontin levels and the severities of coronary and aortic atherosclerosis.

摘要

High levels of osteopontin (OPN) mRNA and proteins were reported in atherosclerotic plaques [1-3]. OPN-overexpressing transgenic mice developed marked atherosclerotic lesions [4]. These suggest that OPN plays an important role in atherosclerosis. Regarding blood OPN levels, we reported plasma OPN levels to be higher in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) than without CAD [5], However, some overlap in OPN levels was found between patients with and without CAD. Since atherosclerotic process is a generalized process that may involve the entire vascu-lature, we hypothesized that plasma OPN levels may reflect not only coronary atherosclerosis but also atherosclerosis in other vascular beds.