Adiponectin has antiatherosclerotic properties and is also produced in the local coronary circulation. We previously reported that significantly less adiponectin was produced in the coronary circulation of patients with than without coronary artery disease (CAD). The goal of this study was to determine whether adiponectin production in the coronary circulation could predict future cardiovascular events in patients with CAD.
Forty-eight CAD patients whose left anterior descending coronary arteries required percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) were enrolled. The amount of adiponectin production in the coronary circulation was defi ned as the plasma adiponectin level at the great cardiac vein minus that at the orifice of the left coronary artery. All patients were divided by adiponectin production level in the coronary circulation into the adiponectin-positive production group (> 0 µg/ mL) and adiponectin-negative production group (≤ 0 µg/mL). Median follow-up period was 66 months (maximum, 108 months). The primary endpoint was the combined occurrence of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), including rehospitalization due to unstable angina, heart failure, nonfatal myocardial infarction, revascularization with PCI or coronary artery bypass grafting, ischemic stroke, and cardiovascular death.
Sixteen MACE occurred. The incidence of MACE was signifi cantly higher in the adiponectin-negative production group than in the adiponectin-positive production group (P = 0.02). In multivariate analysis, adiponectin-negative production was a predictor of MACE (P = 0.03). Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed that the MACE-free rate was signifi cantly lower in the adiponectin-negative production group than in the adiponectin-positive production group.
Adiponectin production in the coronary circulation with CAD may be associated with MACE.