Association of Serum Alpha-Tocopherol and Retinol with the Extent of Coronary Lesions in Coronary Artery Disease

Background and aims : Fat-soluble vitamins play an important role in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease and progression of atherosclerosis. This study aimed at investigating the relationship of the serum levels of alpha-tocopherol and retinol with the extent of coronary lesions in patients with coronary artery disease. Methods . Patients with coronary artery disease ( n = 177 ) aged 30–74 years, who underwent their first coronary angiography, were enrolled. The extent of coronary lesions was assessed using the Friesinger index (FI). Accordingly, patients were grouped as follows: FI = 0–4 ( n = 90 ), FI = 5–9 ( n = 50 ), and FI = 10–15 ( n = 37 ). Serum levels of vitamins were ‬determined via high-performance liquid chromatography and serum biochemical analysis. Results . Assessment of FI-based groups revealed that 50.8% patients had a coronary artery lesion to a low extent (FI 0–4). Individuals in this group were younger and had lower glucose and serum alpha-tocopherol levels than the other groups ( p < 0.05 ). Low levels of alpha-tocopherol were more frequent in the FI 0–4 group than that in the other groups ( p = 0.03 ). No difference was observed between the mean serum retinol levels among the FI-based groups ( n = 0.492 ), and the low frequency of retinol was consistent among the FI groups ( n = 0.348 ). Conclusions . The low level of alpha-tocopherol together with the presence of dyslipidemia is probably associated with the initial events in atherosclerosis. Increased alpha-tocopherol levels in patients with more extensive coronary artery lesions may have resulted from altered vitamin E metabolism with increased oxidative stress.