Lower Endocan Levels Research Articles

Endocan and Lumican in Relation to Cardiometabolic Risk in a Pediatric Overweight and Obese Cohort: A Cross-Sectional Study.

The aim of the study was to evaluate serum Endocan and Lumican levels as biomarkers for pediatric Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) and to explore their associations with pediatric cardiometabolic risk factors. We conducted a cross-sectional study on 68 pediatric obese and overweight (O&O) patients. Ten healthy controls were recruited. Serum Lumican and Endocan levels were analyzed using ELISA kits. O&O patients had lower levels of Endocan compared to healthy controls (p < 0.001). There were no differences between serum Endocan levels in O&O patients with NAFLD and those without (p = 0.53). Patients considered having Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH) had lower Endocan levels compared to O&O patients without NASH (p = 0.026). Patients with metabolic syndrome had lower levels of Endocan (p = 0.003). There were no significant differences between serum Lumican levels in O&O children compared to healthy controls. Lumican levels were higher in patients with hypertension (p = 0.04). In O&O patients, Lumican levels were negatively correlated with Endocan levels (r = −0.37, p = 0.002). Endocan seems a promising biomarker for the evaluation of pediatric NASH. Lumican was not confirmed as a biomarker for NAFLD in our cohort but was associated with higher arterial pressure. Low Endocan levels are accompanied by high serum Lumican levels, and this could be an early signature of cardiometabolic risk.

The Plasma Levels of the Angiogenic Cytokine Endocan Are Elevated in Patients with Multiple Myeloma.

Monoclonal gammopathy of unknown significance (MGUS) and smoldering multiple myeloma often precede multiple myeloma (MM). The identification of biomarkers predicting progression to MM might facilitate an earlier diagnosis of MM. Our study assessed the diagnostic value of plasma levels of endocan, a 50-kDa soluble dermatan sulfate proteoglycan produced and secreted by endothelial cells, hitherto unknown in MM, in patients with plasma cell dyscrasia. Endocan levels were determined in 96 peripheral blood plasma samples by sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in healthy controls (n=12), in patients with MGUS (n=17), and in patients newly diagnosed with (n=42) or relapsed/refractory (n=25) MM. Median endocan concentration increased from MGUS (315.00 pg/ml) and healthy controls (316.19 pg/ml) to newly-diagnosed MM (371.82 pg/ml; p=0.027). The low endocan levels (median=246.20 pg/ml) in patients with relapsed/refractory MM were similar to those in healthy controls and patients with MGUS. A cut-off value of >220 pg/ml endocan in peripheral blood discriminated patients newly diagnosed with MM from those with MGUS (area under the curve(AUC)=0.66, 95% confidence interval(CI)=0.55-0.81). The plasma levels of endocan can non-invasively differentiate patients newly diagnosed with MM from those with MGUS and should therefore be evaluated prospectively as a potential diagnostic marker.

Low endocan levels are predictive of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome in severe sepsis and septic shock

PurposeEndocan is a circulating proteoglycan measured at high blood levels during severe sepsis, with a likely lung anti-inflammatory function. The aim of this study was to assess whether paradoxically low endocan levels at Intensive Care Unit (ICU) admission could predict Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) within 72 h in severe septic patients. Materials and methodsPatients admitted for severe sepsis in the ICU of a French University Hospital were included in a prospective single-center observational study between October 2014 and March 2016. Results72 patients admitted in ICU for severe sepsis were included. Endocan blood values at inclusion were significantly lower in patients who developed an ARDS at 72 h (p < 0.001). For endocan blood values > 5.36 ng/mL, the adjusted OR for development of ARDS at 72 h was of 0.001 (95% CI 0–0.215; p = 0.011). In our cohort, an endocan value < 2.54 ng/mL predicted ARDS at 72 h with a positive predictive value of 1 (Sp = 1 (95% CI 0.94–1)). ConclusionsIn a cohort of severe septic patients, we observed that low blood levels of endocan at ICU admission were predictive of ARDS at 72 h.

Tanısal Egzersiz Elektrokardiyografi Testi Yapılan Hastalarda Serum Tiyol Disulfid Dengesi ve Endokan Düzeyleri

Introduction: Inflammation and oxidative stress are associated with increased risk of cardiovascular diseases. Parameters derived from exercise electrocardiography (ECG) test, such as Duke treadmill score and heart rate recovery (HRR), have prognostic importance and can be used to predict cardiovascular risk. Endocan and thiol/disulfide homeostasis are emerging biomarkers that reflect the inflammatory and oxidative status. The aim of this study was to investigate serum thiol/disulfide homeostasis and endocan levels in an exercise ECG testing patient cohort and to evaluate the association of these markers with Duke treadmill score and HRR. Patients and Methods: Patients who underwent diagnostic exercise ECG test were divided into two groups according to Duke treadmill score and HRR. Serum endocan levels and thiol/disulfide homeostasis were compared between high and low/intermediate Duke treadmill score groups and blunted and normal HRR groups. Results: Serum endocan levels were similar between the groups according to Duke treadmill score and HRR. Thiol/disulfide ratio was significantly lower in patients with blunted HRR than in those with normal HRR. Serum native thiol levels, total thiol levels, and total thiol/disulfide ratio were significantly elevated in patients with a high Duke treadmill score than in those with low/intermediate Duke treadmill score. Native thiol levels and total thiol levels were significantly correlated with Duke treadmill score. Multivariate regression analysis revealed that hypertension and diabetes were independent predictors of blunted HRR, whereas hypertension and low endocan levels were those of low/intermediate Duke treadmill score. Conclusion: Serum thiol levels are correlated with Duke treadmill score, and low endocan levels are associated with low/intermediate Duke treadmill score.

Endocan Levels and Coronary Collateral Circulation in Stable Angina Pectoris: A Pilot Study.

We investigated the relationship between endocan (a marker of systemic inflammation) and the development of coronary collateral circulation (CCC) as evaluated by coronary angiography in patients with chronic stable angina pectoris. A total of 90 patients (32 poor CCC and 58 good CCC) were included in this study. Endocan levels were determined using a commercially available sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit with high sensitivity and specificity for detection of human endocan. In multivariate logistic regression analysis, low endocan levels were independently associated with good CCC ( P < .001). Moreover, low high-sensitivity C-reactive protein levels were also independently associated with good CCC ( P = .020). We found an optimal cutoff point for endocan of 1.7 ng/mL; it predicted the presence of good CCC with a sensitivity of 72.4% and specificity of 65.6% ( P < .001). The results of the present study suggest that measurement of endocan level may help clinicians to predict the development of CCC in patients with stable coronary artery disease.

Endocan and albuminuria in type 2 diabetes mellitus

Background: Endocan is a newly identified proteoglycan released from endothelium, stimulating angiogenesis and when increased, indicates endothelial activation (inflammation). Our aim was to examine the association between serum endocan levels and urine albumin–creatinine ratio (UACR).Method: One hundred and thirty-seven patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and normal serum creatinine who had no co-morbidities other than hypertension, diabetic nephropathy, retinopathy, or neuropathy were divided into normoalbuminuria (G1), microalbuminuria (G2), and macroalbuminuria (G3) groups and compared cross-sectionally regarding serum endocan levels.Result: There were 55, 47, and 35 patients in G1, G2, and G3, respectively. The groups were comparable in terms of gender, age, duration of diabetes, diabetic neuropathy/retinopathy, fasting glucose, HbA1c, serum creatinine level, and eGFR. Patients in G3 had significantly higher blood pressure but lower serum albumin and endocan levels. UACR showed a negative bivariate correlation with serum endocan levels (r = −.282, p = .001). There was bivariate positive correlation between endocan and systolic blood pressure (r=.185, p = .030). In linear regression analysis, UACR was negatively correlated with endocan while positively correlated with systolic blood pressure, duration of diabetes, and platelet distribution width.Conclusion: Patients with macroalbuminuria had lower endocan levels, and increasing UACR was associated with decreasing serum endocan levels. Despite the occurrence of angiogenesis and glomerular hypertrophy in the early phase of diabetic nephropathy, ensuing significant renal injury over time may reduce the expression of endocan. Serum endocan levels may represent a novel marker for nephropathy progression.

Preconditioning serum levels of endothelial cell-derived molecules and the risk of posttransplant complications in patients treated with allogeneic stem cell transplantation.

Endothelial cells are involved in the pathogenesis of acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) after allogeneic stem cell transplantation. These cells express several molecules that can be detected as biologically active soluble forms; serum levels of these molecules may thereby reflect the functional status of endothelial cells. Furthermore, acute GVHD is an inflammatory reaction and endothelial cells function as local regulators of inflammation. We therefore investigated whether differences in preconditioning/pretransplant serum levels of endothelium-expressed molecules (i.e., endocan, vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 (VCAM-1), and E-selectin) were associated with a risk of posttransplant GVHD. Our study should be regarded as a population-based study of consecutive and thereby unselected patients (n = 56). Analysis of this pretreatment endothelium biomarker profile by unsupervised hierarchical clustering identified a subset of patients with increased early nonrelapse mortality. Furthermore, low endocan levels were significantly associated with acute GVHD in the liver and gastrointestinal tract, whereas high VCAM-1 levels were associated with acute GVHD in the skin only. Our study suggests that the preconditioning/pretransplant status of endothelial cells (possibly through altered trafficking of immunocompetent cells) is important for the risk and the organ involvement of later acute GVHD.