Changes in the Concentration of Catecholamines in the Blood as a Risk Factor for the Development of Atherosclerotic Vascular Damage in Children with Family Hypercholesterolemia

Catecholamines are a class of chemical neurotransmitters and hormones that occupy key positions in the regulation of various physiological processes in the human body, as well as those involved in the development of neurological, psychiatric, and endocrine diseases. Today, of particular interest is the study of the participation of catecholamines in the formation and progression of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) of atherosclerotic origin. A promising model for research in this area may be familial hypercholesterolemia, which is characterized by the early development of CVD at a young age due to prolonged exposure to elevated concentrations of atherogenic lipoproteins on the wall of arterial vessels. As part of this work, a cross-sectional study was conducted with the participation of two pediatric groups, which included patients diagnosed with familial hypercholesterolemia and apparently healthy children without cardiovascular diseases. Plasma concentrations of L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine and dihydroxyphenylacetic acid were higher in children with familial hypercholesterolemia than in the control group. Concentrations of adrenaline in blood plasma in the main group compared to healthy people were 10% lower. Positive correlations were revealed between the level of L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine, dihydroxyphenylacetic acid and indices of arterial vascular stiffness, as well as total cholesterol. The results of our study confirm that catecholamines are involved in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases of atherosclerotic origin and their biosynthesis is altered in children with familial hypercholesterolemia.