Plasma Apolipoprotein B Levels Predict Platelet-Dependent Thrombosis in Patients with Coronary Artery Disease

Abstract

Elevated plasma apolipoprotein B is a known risk factor for atherosclerotic coronary artery disease (CAD), however its relationship to arterial thrombosis is unexplored. We prospectively assessed apolipoprotein B and platelet-dependent thrombosis (PDT) in 42 CAD patients (37 men, 5 women, mean age 68 ± 9 years), by exposing porcine aortic media to their flowing unanticoagulated venous blood for 5 min using an ex vivo perfusion (Badimon) chamber. PDT was significantly correlated with apolipoprotein B (r = 0.41, p = 0.009), intracellular magnesium levels (r = –0.46, p = 0.003) fasting blood glucose (r = 0.47, p = 0.002), and total cholesterol (r = 0.43, p = 0.006). PDT did not correlate with serum total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, apolipoprotein A-I or fibrinogen levels. These findings suggest that the positive relationship of elevated apolipoprotein B to CAD may be, in part, related to its prothrombotic effects.