Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Comparative Study
. 2007 Nov;17(6):179-85.
doi: 10.2188/jea.17.179.

Association of lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 with coronary calcification among American and Japanese men

Aiman El-Saed  1 , Akira Sekikawa, Riad Wahid Zaky, Takashi Kadowaki, Tomoko Takamiya, Tomonori Okamura, Daniel Edmundowicz, Yoshikuni Kita, Lewis H Kuller, Hirotsugu Ueshima
Affiliations
Comparative Study

Association of lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 with coronary calcification among American and Japanese men

Aiman El-Saed et al. J Epidemiol. 2007 Nov.

Abstract

Background: We have previously reported that the prevalence of coronary artery calcification (CAC) was substantially lower among Japanese than American men despite a less favorable profile of many traditional risk factors in Japanese men. To determine whether lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2) levels are related to the difference in the prevalence of CAC between the two populations.

Methods: A total of 200 men aged 40-49 years were examined: 100 residents in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and 100 residents in Kusatsu City, Shiga, Japan. Coronary calcium score (CCS) was evaluated by electron-beam tomography, Lp-PLA2 levels, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) lipoprotein subclasses, and other factors were assessed in 2001-2002.

Results: Lp-PLA2 levels were higher among American than Japanese men (Mean +/- standard deviation 301.7 +/- 82.6 versus 275.9 +/- 104.7 ng/mL, respectively, p=0.06). Among all Japanese men and those with low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol > or =130 mg/dL, there was an inverse association of the prevalence of CCS>0 with the tertile groups of Lp-PLA2 levels (p=0.08 and p=0.03, respectively). American men did not have any association between CCS>0 with the tertile groups of Lp-PLA2 (p=0.62). Although Lp-PLA2 among both populations correlated positively with LDL and total cholesterol, American and Japanese men had different correlations with NMR lipoprotein subclasses. Reported high odds ratio for CCS>0 among American compared to Japanese men was not reduced after adjusting for Lp-PLA2 levels.

Conclusion: Lp-PLA2 may have different mechanisms of action among American and Japanese men. Lp-PLA2 levels can not explain the observed CAC differences between the two populations.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.. Prevalence of those with coronary calcium score (CCS) > 0 among the 2 populations by tertile group of lipoprotein-associated phspholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2): all participants.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.. Prevalence of those with coronary calcium score (CCS) > 0 among the 2 populations by tertile group of lipoprotein-associated phspholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2): those with low density lipoprotein cholesterol ≥ 130 mg/dL.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Watson AD, Navab M, Hama SY, Sevanian A, Prescott SM, Stafforini DM, et al. Effect of platelet activating factor-acetylhydrolase on the formation and action of minimally oxidized low density lipoprotein. J Clin Invest 1995; 95: 774-82. 10.1172/JCI117726 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Zalewski A, Macphee C.. Role of lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A(2) in atherosclerosis: biology, epidemiology, and possible therapeutic target. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol 2005; 25: 923-31. 10.1161/01.ATV.0000160551.21962.a7 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Tjoelker LW, Wilder C, Eberhardt C, Stafforini DM, Dietsch G, Schimpf B, et al. Anti-inflammatory properties of a platelet-activating factor acetylhydrolase. Nature 1995; 374: 549-53. 10.1038/374549a0 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Yamada Y, Ichihara S, Fujimura T, Yokota M.. Identification of the G994--> T missense in exon 9 of the plasma platelet-activating factor acetylhydrolase gene as an independent risk factor for coronary artery disease in Japanese men. Metabolism 1998; 47: 177-81. 10.1016/S0026-0495(98)90216-5 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Yamada Y, Yoshida H, Ichihara S, Imaizumi T, Satoh K, Yokota M.. Correlations between plasma platelet-activating factor acetylhydrolase (PAF-AH) activity and PAF-AH genotype, age, and atherosclerosis in a Japanese population. Atherosclerosis 2000; 150: 209-16. 10.1016/S0021-9150(99)00385-8 - DOI - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms

Substances