IL-6 and lL-17 as potential biomarkers for premature coronary artery disease: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND: Coronary artery disease (CAD) is a chronic inflammatory condition, with cytokines playing a crucial role. However, their involvement in premature CAD (pCAD) remains unclear. This study investigates the relationship between cytokines and pCAD. METHODS: A total of 986 patients (males ≤ 55 years, females ≤ 65 years) were classified into pCAD and non-CAD groups based on coronary angiography. Serum levels of 12 cytokines, including Interleukin–1β (IL–1β), IL-2, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-12p70, IL-17, tumor necrosis factor–α (TNF–α), interferon–α (IFN–α), and IFN-γ, were measured. Spearman correlation and binary logistic regression were used to evaluate the relationship between cytokines and pCAD. The predictive performance of the multivariable logistic regression model was evaluated using ROC curve analysis. RESULTS: Serum levels of IL-6 (P < 0.001) and IL-17 (P = 0.048) were significantly higher in the pCAD group. In males, both IL-6 (P = 0.039) and IL-17 (P = 0.039) levels were higher compared to non-CAD, while in females, only IL-6 was significantly different (P = 0.008). Moreover, IL-6 showed moderate positive correlations with hsTnI (r = 0.490, P < 0.001) and hsCRP (r = 0.542, P < 0.001). IL-17 (OR = 1.042, 95% CI: 1.005–1.080, P = 0.026), hsTnI (OR = 1.038, 95% CI: 1.008–1.069, P = 0.014), diabetes (OR = 1.903, 95% CI: 1.160–3.121, P = 0.011), and aspirin use (OR = 1.766, 95% CI: 1.131–2.757, P = 0.010) were independent risk factors for pCAD. ROC analysis showed an AUC of 0.792 for the full model and 0.747 for significant predictors. CONCLUSION: IL-6 and IL-17 were significantly higher in the pCAD group. IL-6 was positively correlated with hsTnI and hsCRP. IL-17, hsTnI, diabetes, and aspirin use were independent risk factors, highlighting inflammation’s significance in pCAD.