Relationship Between Target Organ Damage And YKL-40, PTX-3Levels In Essential Hypertension Patients

ObjectivesTo investigate the relationship between target organ damage (TOD) andinflammatory cytokines such as YKL-40and PTX-3levels in essential hypertension(EH) patients and to explore the association of inflammatory cytokines such asYKL-40, PTX-3with heart damage, kidney damage and vascular damage.MethodsIn this randomized controlled study, a total of98consecutive subjects wererecruited from the Department of Cardiology or Management Centre of ChangshaCentral Hospital from February2013to August2013, including Fifty-nine EHpatients and thirty-nine healthy subjects. EH patient were underwentechocardiography, carotid artery ultrasonography and kidney function test, who werefurther divided into TOD group and uncomplicated hypertensive group. All patients’serum YKL-40and PTX-3levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbentassay (ELISA).Results1. Serum YKL-40levels (57.7±35.5μg/L）were significantly higher inEH patients than that in control group(27.2±8.7μg/L), while serumPTX-3levels were not significantly different between two groups.2. Serum YKL-40levels (72.5±41.4μg/L) were significantly higher inEH patients with TOD group than that in uncomplicated hypertensivegroup（42.4±19.0μg/L, P <0.001）, and serum YKL-40levels inuncomplicated hypertensive group were higher than that in controlgroup(27.2±8.7μg/L，P <0.001）；Serum PTX-3levels (5.2±2.5μg/L)were significantly higher in EH patients with TOD group than that in uncomplicated hypertensive group（3.5±1.6μg/L，P <0.05）, whileserum PTX-3levels were not significantly different betweenuncomplicated hypertensive group and control group（P>0.05).3. There are4patients with left ventricular hypertrophy,5patients withrenal damage,17patients with carotid atherosclerosis in TOD group,serum YKL-40levels of these three groups were105.3±57.6,59.2±54.0,72.9±35.7μg/L respectively. Meanwhile the concentrations ofserum PTX-3were6.9±2.7,5.2±3.1,4.4±2.0μg/L respectively.According to the ANOVA, there was no significantly difference amongthose three groups (all P>0.05).4. The results form the Spearman correlation analysis showed that theserum YKL-40concentration was positively correlated with systolicpressure, diastolic pressure, Intima-Media Thickness (r=0.449,0.299,0.453, P <0.001,0.021,0.001respectively). The serum PTX-3concentration was positively correlated with Left Ventricular MassIndex (r=0.278, P=0.033） but was negatively correlated with eGFR（r=-0.272，P=0.037）. However, we found no significantlyrelationship between serum YKL-40and PTX-3.Conclusions1. Serum YKL-40level is significantly increased in EH patients andit is correlated with blood pressure. YKL-40may take part in thepathogenesis of EH.2. Inflammatory markers are significantly increased in EH patientswith TOD. YKL-40and PTX-3may take part in the pathogenesisof target organ damage in EH patients. However, serum YKL-40and PTX-3levels are not significant difference among carotidartery damage patients, heart damage patients and kidney damagepatients. 3. Serum YKL-40is correlated with carotid artery damage,meanwhile PTX-3is correlated with heart damage and kidneydamage. Combined detecting YKL-40and PTX-3may be clinicalsignificant for disease progress, early mention and treatment oforgan damage.