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Endothelium biomarkers endocan and thrombomodulin levels in isolated coronary artery ectasia.

OBJECTIVE
Endothelial dysfunction may play an important role in the evolution of coronary artery ectasia (CAE). Endocan and thrombomodulin (TM) are two biomarkers released from the endothelium that are associated with dysfunction. We aimed to evaluate the levels of these markers in patients with isolated CAE.


PATIENTS AND METHODS
Thirty-two patients with isolated CAE and thirty-five sex- and age-matched control patients with normal coronary angiograms were enrolled. Serum endocan and TM concentrations were measured with an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit.


RESULTS
The basal characteristics of the two groups were similar. Both endocan (1.19 ± 0.18 vs. 1.07 ± 0.15 ng/ml; p = 0.006) and TM (687.28 ± 150.85 vs. 571.27 ± 171.23 pg/ml; p = 0.007) were significantly increased in the CAE  group compared to controls. However, no significant differences were detected in the concentration of these markers when we grouped the subjects according to the Markis classification.


CONCLUSIONS
We found higher endocan and TM levels in isolated CAE patients. However, these markers were not associated with CAE severity as assessed using the Markis classification. The results suggest that these markers play an important role in the development of isolated CAE.