Correlation Between Low THBS3 Expression in Peripheral Blood and Acute Myocardial Infarction

Background: Thrombospondin (THBS) 3 is an adhesive glycoprotein involved in cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions. The purpose of this study is to determine whether THBS3 expression in peripheral blood can be used as a biomarker to predict the risk of acute myocardial infarction (AMI).

Methods: The peripheral blood of 111 patients with stable coronary artery disease (SCAD) and 112 patients with AMI was obtained. The experimental and the control cohorts were the AMI and SCAD groups, respectively. The expression of THBS3 mRNA and protein in both groups was determined using reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

Results: THBS3 expression (range) in the peripheral plasma of patients in the AMI group was lower than that of patients in the SCAD group (4.526 (3.748-5.521), 5.511 (4.726-6.334), respectively), which was 0.82 times lower than the control (p < 0.001). Furthermore, THBS3 mRNA level in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells of patients with AMI was 0.47 times lower than that in patients with SCAD (p < 0.05). AMI was associated with fasting blood glucose levels, platelet counts and low THBS3 expression. Logistic regression analysis revealed that decreased expression of THBS3 protein increased the probability of AMI by 4.076 times (p < 0.01). Additionally, high fasting blood glucose and high platelet counts increased the risk of AMI by 2.819 and 6.515 times, respectively (p < 0.05).

Conclusions: THBS3 mRNA and protein levels in the peripheral blood of patients in the AMI group were much lower compared with those of patients in the SCAD group. Low THBS3 expression in peripheral blood was related to AMI and was an independent risk factor for AMI. Thus, low THBS3 expression in peripheral blood may be a novel, suitable molecular marker for the early detection of AMI.