The association of homocysteine and related factors to brachial artery diameter and flow-mediated dilation

Abstract

Brachial artery flow-mediated dilation (BAFMD) has been proposed as a measurement of the degree and severity of cardiovascular disease. The purpose of this study was to (1) evaluate the associations between BAFMD and homocysteine, folate, vitamin B 12, vitamin B 6; (2) examine the influence of 5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) genotypes on homocysteine levels and BAFMD; and (3) evaluate the effect of homocysteine on the baseline diameter of the vessel vs BAFMD. A total of 174 healthy research subjects were examined for BAFMD, homocysteine, folate, vitamin B 12, vitamin B 6, and MTHFR genotype, nucleotide 677 C→T. The data indicated a significant inverse correlation between homocysteine and BAFMD ( r = −0.1763, P = .02). There was a significant difference in BAFMD between MTHFR genotype groups ( P = .01) (T/T vs C/C, P = .042; C/C vs C/T, P = .13; T/T vs C/T, P = .003). Homocysteine was significantly associated with the baseline brachial artery diameter ( r = 0.1878, P = .013). The data confirmed a significant inverse correlation between baseline diameter and BAFMD ( r = −0.3321, P = .0001). Regression analysis indicated that the MTHFR genotype, homocysteine, and age were significant predictors of BAFMD ( P = .0001, r 2 = 0.118). When the baseline brachial diameter was incorporated into the model, the effect of homocysteine on BAFMD disappeared. The present data indicate an association between homocysteine and BAFMD and reduced BAFMD in individuals with the MTHFR nucleotide 677 T/T genotype, despite similar blood values for folate and homocysteine. Finally, the data suggest that the effect of homocysteine on vascular reactivity is in part a consequence of its influence on baseline brachial artery diameter.