Erythrocyte Membrane and Plasma Fatty Acids Composition in Patients with Coronary Heart Disease Requiring Percutaneous Angioplasty

Aims: Atherosclerosis is associated with oxidative stress and fatty acid composition plays a critical role in vascular endothelial dysfunction and injury leading to the coronary atherosclerotic progression. However, the correlation between the fatty acid profile and coronary atherosclerosis is debatable. The goal of this study is to assess the erythrocyte membrane and plasma fatty acid composition in patients with coronary heart disease.

Methods: The erythrocyte membrane and plasma distributions of fatty acids were quantified in patients with coronary heart disease (n = 30, group A) which needs both intensive medication and elective percutaneous coronary intervention and age-matched controls (n = 38, group B) using high-performance liquid chromatography combined with evaporative light scattering detection method. Baseline data were extracted from medical records.

Results: Logistic regression analysis demonstrated that hypoalbuminemia (p = 0.010) and HbA1c (p = 0.005) are associated with required percutaneous coronary intervention. Although appropriate logistic regression model for percutaneous coronary intervention could not be obtained by incorporating fatty acid components, percutaneous coronary intervention was correlated mostly to the increased oleic acid and decreased stearic acid in both erythrocyte membrane and plasma in receiver-operating characteristic analysis.

Conclusion: This single-center, cross-sectional study indicated that erythrocyte membrane and plasma fatty acids have a potential impact on the coronary atherosclerotic progression which requires coronary intervention. Longitudinal studies are necessary to clarify the clinical role of fatty acids distribution as a novel atherogenic marker.