Correlation between plasma angiopoietin-1, angiopoietin-2 and matrix metalloproteinase-2 in coronary heart disease

Introduction: Angiopoietin-2 (Ang-2) plays a critical role in inducing tumor cell infiltration, and this invasive phenotype is caused by up-regulation of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2.The relationship between Ang-2 and MMP-2 in atherosclerosis has not been reported yet.The aim is to measure the plasma concentrations of Ang-1, Ang-2 and MMP-2 and assess the correlation between the concentrations of these factors in coronary heart disease (CHD) patients.Material and methods: The testing was done in a cross-sectional study.We prospectively enrolled 42 individuals with acute myocardial infarction, 42 individuals with unstable angina pectoris, 42 individuals with stable angina pectoris and 45 healthy control subjects.Concentrations of Ang-1, Ang-2 and MMP-2 were measured using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method.Spearman's rank correlation was calculated to evaluate the relationships between MMP-2 and Ang-1, and MMP-2 and Ang-2 in patients with CHD.Results: Patients with acute myocardial infarction and unstable angina pectoris had higher Ang-2 and MMP-2 levels compared with stable angina patients and healthy control subjects (p < 0.05), while concentrations of Ang-1 were not statistically different between the groups.Spearman's rank correlation showed that Ang-2 levels positively correlated with MMP-2 in patients with CHD (r = 0.679, p < 0.001).Conclusions: Plasma Ang-2 and MMP-2 levels but not Ang-1 levels were increased in patients with CHD.Ang-1 correlated weakly with MMP-2, whereas the Ang-2 and MMP-2 correlation was strong in patients with CHD.Ang-2 may play a role in atherosclerosis, and have an interaction with MMP-2.