Association Between Increased Expression Levels of SDF-1 and CXCR4 on the Platelets of Patients With Coronary Artery Disease and Low LVEF

Since coronary artery disease (CAD) is one of the leading causes of death globally, identifying new risk factors can augment risk assessment. This study aimed to investigate the surface expression of stromal cell-derived factor-1 (SDF-1), CXCR4, and CXCR7 on the platelets of CAD patients and to determine whether there is a correlation between their expressions and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF).

Sixty CAD patients and 60 healthy volunteers as normal controls were studied. The mean fluorescence intensity (MFI) of SDF-1 and its receptor expression was evaluated by flow cytometry. Biochemical markers and platelet parameters were investigated with an AutoAnalyzer and a cell counter, respectively.

The platelets of the CAD group expressed SDF-1 and CXCR4 significantly more than those of the control group (MFI=1112±304 vs 943±131; P=0.042 and MFI=23372±6804 vs 20634±3482; P=0.033, respectively). Nevertheless, no significant difference was found in the platelet expression of CXCR7 between the CAD and control groups (MFI=35256±8706 vs 25053±7270; P=0.061). Notably, increased expression levels of SDF-1 and CXCR4 were associated with decreased LVEF (r= −0.388, P=0.003 and r= −0.431, P=0.001).

Our findings demonstrated that the overexpression of SDF-1 and CXCR4 on platelets could be considered a promising candidate indicating that asymptomatic patients with decreased LVEF may be at the risk of CAD. (Iranian Heart Journal 2022; 23(1): 42-53)