VPB1284 - Biomarker Profiling to Investigate the Molecular and Cellular Pathogenesis of Endothelium in Atrial Fibrillation

Tuesday, July 12, 2022

6:30 PM – 7:30 PM

Location: Exhibition

Presentation Format: Virtual

Presenting Author(s)

Gabriel Dungan

Medical student
Loyola University Medical Center
Maywood, Illinois, United States

Co-Author(s)

AO

Ameer Odeh

Medical student
Loyola University Medical Center
Maywood, Illinois, United States
FS

Fakiha Siddiqui

Doctor
Loyola University Medical Center
Maywood, Illinois, United States
DH

Debra Hoppensteadt

Professor
Loyola University Chicago
Chicago, Illinois, United States
OI

Omer Iqbal

Doctor
Loyola University Medical Center
Maywood, Illinois, United States
AD

Amir Darki

Associate Professor
Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Cardiology, Loyola University Medical Center, 2160 S. 1st Avenue, Maywood, IL 60153, USA.
Maywood, Illinois, United States
JF

Jawed Fareed, n/a

Professor
Loyola University Medical Center
MAYWOOD, Illinois, United States
MS

Mushabbar Syed

Doctor
Loyola University Medical Center
Maywood, Illinois, United States

Background: Atrial Fibrillation (AF) is the most prevalent cardiac arrythmia and is one of the main causes of cardiovascular morbidity.

Aims: This study seeks to examine the potential relationship between various endothelial, thrombotic, and inflammatory biomarkers in AF patient plasma.

Methods: Citrated blood samples from 111 AF patients with confirmed clinical diagnosis of atrial fibrillation were enrolled in this study. Control plasma samples represented 50 healthy individuals. All samples were analyzed using commercially available ELISA methods for the endothelial biomarkers ICAM-1, VEGF, the thrombotic biomarkers tPA, PAI-1, Annexin V, the inflammatory biomarkers IL-6, TNFα, CRP, and Ang-II. All results were tabulated and correlation analysis between each respective biomarker was carried out using GraphPad prism software.

Results: All of the biomarker studies showed varying levels of increase in patient plasma as compared to normal controls. The AF patients showed a statistically significant Spearman correlation between the following biomarker pairings: ICAM-1 vs TNFα (r=0.527, p=0.012, n=22), CRP vs IL-6 (r=0.489, p=0.004, n=33), TNFα vs IL-6 (r=0.654, p< 0.001, n=41), Annexin V vs VEGF (r=0.628, p< 0.001, n=40), VEGF vs CRP (r=0.518, p=0.023, n=19), tPA vs PAI-1 (r=0.672, p< 0.001, n=28), tPA vs Ang-II (r= -0.532, p=0.004, n=28).

Conclusion(s): These studies suggest the integrated expression of endothelial and inflammatory biomarkers as well as the coordinated expression of endothelial and thrombotic biomarkers in the pathophysiology of atrial fibrillation. Profiling patient levels of these markers may be helpful in screening AF disease progression as well as designing optimal therapeutic approaches for AF.