Ischemic stroke biomarkers
The contribution of Vascular endothelial growth receptor (VEGF) and monocyte chemoattractant protein(MCP-1) to symptomatic atherosclerotic carotid plaques
The role of vascular endothelial growth factor and monocyte chemoattractant protein as a serum biomarker of atherothrombotic disease is currently under investigation. Previous western studies have mostly related VEGF and MCP-1 to ischemic stroke. This is an Indian study and we tried to relate these protein growth factor levels as potential biomarkers to incidence of ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack since stroke is a principal cause of death in elderly people. We have estimated the VEGF and MCP-1 levels in stroke patients presenting with carotid atherosclerotic plaques in order to explore their regulatory roles in disease progression.
VEGF and MCP-1 levels in serum obtained from study participants were measured using a solid phase sandwich ELISA (R&D). 57 patients with carotid plaques as screened by carotid Doppler were recruited for this study. 38 stroke control patients without carotid plaque and also 15 healthy controls who had no history of serious illness were recruited. We also investigated the role of environment and demography in this disease. The VEGF level was found to be unaltered in these patients as compared to controls. Similarly, there was no significant upregulation of monocyte chemoattractant protein in these patients. There was no positive association with smoking, alcohol consumption, or dietary habit. However a positive association was seen with gender and urban residence. Hypertension was found to be positively associated with stroke when compared to controls. We also found that smokers are four times more susceptible to stroke.