ABSTRACT
Background:
Coronary artery calcification (CAC) is a crucial marker for
coronary atherosclerosis, and the extent of CAC is closely linked to the
incidence and progression of
cardiovascular diseases. The
interleukin-2 (
IL-2) receptor (IL-2R), which
plays a critical
role in
mediating the proliferation and differentiation of immune
cells, may also be involved in the development of CAC. The study aimed to investigate the relationship between IL-2R and CAC, with the
goal of providing new insights into
cardiovascular diseases.
Methods:
In this study, we enrolled 606
patients diagnosed with
coronary artery disease to assess CAC. Based on
coronary artery calcification score (CACS),
patients were divided into two groups the non-severe CAC group (CACS ≤ 400 Agatston units, AU) and the severe CAC group (CACS > 400 AU).
Results:
The results showed that IL-2R levels were significantly higher in
patients with severe CAC compared to those with non-severe CAC (383 vs. 352 pg/mL, p = 0.002). Moreover, the level of IL-2R was positively correlated with the severity of CAC, independent of other clinical
risk factors. According to
Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve, the IL-2R prediction model demonstrated a good capability in distinguishing severe CAC with the Area Under the Curve (
AUC) value of 0.726.
Conclusions:
Our study suggests that IL-2R is independently associated with the occurrence of severe CAC in
coronary artery disease (CAD)
patients. Additionally, IL-2R may
play a crucial
role in the development of advanced
atherosclerosis. Consequently,
therapeutic strategies targeting the
IL-2/IL-2R pathway may be effective in preventing or treating CAD.
