Plasma apolipoprotein B levels predict platelet-dependent thrombosis in patients with coronary artery disease

Elevated plasma apolipoprotein B is a known risk factor for atherosclerotic coronary artery disease (CAD), however its relationship to arterial thromb osis is unexplored. We prospectively assessed apolipoprotein B and platelet -dependent thrombosis (PDT) in 42 CAD patients (37 men, 5 women, mean age 6 8 +/- 9 years), by exposing porcine aortic media to their flowing unanticoa gulated venous blood for 5 min using an ex vivo perfusion (Badimon) chamber . PDT was significantly correlated with apolipoprotein B (r = 0.41, p = 0.0 09), intracellular magnesium levels (r = -0.46, p = 0.003) fasting blood gl ucose (r = 0.47, p = 0.002), and total cholesterol (r = 0.43, p = 0.006), P DT did not correlate with serum total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, apolipoprotein A-I or fi brinogen levels. These findings suggest that the positive relationship of e levated apolipoprotein B to CAD may be, in part, related to its prothrombot ic effects. Copyright (C) 2000 S. Karger AG, Basel.