Association between Plasma Angiopoietin-Like Protein 3 and Arterial Wall Thickness in Healthy Subjects

BACKGROUND: Angiopoietin-like protein 3 (ANGPTL3) is a liver-derived plasma protein that modulates plasma triglyceride clearance, angiogenesis and atherosclerosis in experimental models. So far, no study has examined its role in atherosclerosis in human subjects. We evaluated the possible association between plasma ANGPTL3 level and carotid artery intima-media thickness (CA-IMT) and femoral artery intima-media thickness (FA-IMT) in healthy human subjects. METHODS: The subjects were 381 healthy volunteers. Plasma ANGPTL3 was determined by a specific ELISA. CA-IMT and FA-IMT were measured by high-resolution B-mode ultrasonography. RESULTS: The plasma ANGPTL3 level was 764 +/- 291 ng/ml (mean +/- SD). CA-IMT showed a significant positive correlation with plasma ANGPTL3 and other classical risk factors such as age, blood pressure, and plasma glucose and lipid levels. The positive association between ANGPTL3 and CA-IMT remained significant after adjustment for age, sex, smoking, body mass index, systolic blood pressure, plasma glucose, insulin resistance index, triglyceride, and high-density and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels. ANGPTL3 also showed a positive association with FA-IMT independent of these factors. CONCLUSIONS: These results demonstrate for the first time that ANGPTL3 is closely associated with arterial wall thickness in human subjects.