Growth Differentiation Factor 15 and Coronary Collateral Formation

Background The coronary collateral circulation can reduce sudden cardiac death,myocardial cell loss,and infarct size.Growth differentiation factor 15(GDF‐15),a member of the transforming growth factor‐β (TGF‐β) superfamily,has been reported to have a prognostic predicting value in coronary artery disease. Hypothesis GDF‐15 can be related with the extent of collateral formation. Objective Growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF‐15), a member of the transforming growth factor‐β (TGF‐β) superfamily, has been reported to have a prognostic predicting value in coronary artery disease. We sought to investigate whether GDF‐15 is related to coronary collateral development in patients with coronary heart disease. Methods A cross‐sectional study was performed in 201 patients, who were admitted for selective coronary angiography. Patients were divided into 3 groups based on Rentrop's classification of coronary collaterals. Group 1: patients with coronary collateral presence, which was defined by Rentrop's grade 1–3 collateral development. Group 2: patients with grade 0 collateral development. Group 3: control group were patients with a normal coronary angiogram. The levels of plasma GDF‐15, asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA), and soluble Fms‐related tyrosine kinase‐1 (sFLT‐1) were compared among the 3 groups. Results There were significant statistical differences in plasma sFLT‐1, ADMA, and GDF‐15 concentrations among the different collateral groups. The correlations between Rentrop's grade and the cytokines were significant. A positive correlation was found between Rentrop's grade and GDF‐15 ( r = 0.187, P < 0.05). The correlations between the levels of plasma sFLT‐1, ADMA, and Rentrop's grade were significant, with the correlation coefficient of r = 0.181, P < 0.05 (sFLT‐1) and r = − 0.646, P < 0.001 (ADMA), respectively. Conclusions Our findings suggest that GDF‐15 levels increase with the extent of collateral formation. In that case, the patients with a higher level of GDF‐15 may predict more severe coronary stenosis, which has a higher probability to develop collaterals. Copyright © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.