AGE AND CYSTATHIONINE BETA-SYNTHASE ACTIVITY IN CULTURED FIBROBLASTS FROM PATIENTS WITH ARTERIAL AND VENOUS VASCULAR-DISEASE

In order to determine if cystathionine beta-synthase (CBS) could separ ate groups of patients with various vascular disease, CBS activity was studied in cultured human skin fibroblasts from 30 subjects being eit her controls, atherosclerotic patients or patients having suffered a d eep venous thrombosis. We found a tendency to a negative correlation b etween age and CBS activity in the control group only (r = -0.58, P = 0.08), with a tendency to lower CBS activities in the young patients w ith atherosclerotic (4.9) or venous disease (5.3) compared to the youn g control group (10.2). This could implicate higher levels of p-homocy steine with increased age as well as in young patients with atheroscle rotic or thrombotic disease causing vascular damage. The results are i mportant for the further discussion of the role of homocysteine as a r isk factor for developing atherosclerotic and thrombogenic vascular di sease and for finding a suitable screening method as prevention is by vitamin supplement only. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All ri ghts reserved.