Increased circulating levels of tumor necrosis factor-like cytokine 1A and decoy receptor 3 correlate with SYNTAX score in patients undergoing coronary surgery.

OBJECTIVE: Chronic inflammation of the arteries is a critical mechanism responsible for coronary atherosclerosis. We aimed to determine if tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-like cytokine 1A (TL1A) and decoy receptor 3 (DcR3) were involved in promoting atherosclerosis. METHODS: We compared plasma levels of TL1A and DcR3 in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (n=40) and patients without CAD group (n=37, normal coronary artery angiogram) by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. We also analyzed the correlation between CAD and SYNTAX scores. RESULTS: Plasma levels of TL1A and DcR3 were significantly higher in the CAD compared with the no-CAD group. Multivariate analysis showed that TL1A and DcR3 were significantly correlated with the presence of CAD, and receiver operating characteristic curve analysis indicated that both TL1A and DcR3 showed high sensitivity and specificity for diagnosing CAD. Furthermore, TL1A was positively and significantly correlated with SYNTAX score in CAD patients. CONCLUSIONS: CAD patients requiring coronary artery bypass grafting have high circulating levels of both TL1A and DcR3, which may thus be useful biomarkers for diagnosing severe CAD. Furthermore, plasma levels of TL1A correlate with SYNTAX score, supporting its potential use as an indicator of the severity of CAD.