A-kinase anchoring protein 1: an independent predictor of coronary artery disease.

Introduction: Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the leading cause of death worldwide. A-kinase anchoring protein 1 (AKAP1), thought to regulate the function and structure of mitochondria, is enriched in the heart, where it plays a protective role. However, data on the serum AKAP1 concentration levels in patients with CAD are currently lacking. To address this, the serum levels of AKAP1 in patients with CAD were quantified and their predictive ability for CAD was evaluated in this study.

Methods: A total of 255 patients referred for coronary angiography were included in this study and classified into two groups (CAD and non-CAD group). A comparative analysis of clinical data and serum AKAP1 concentration levels was performed between the two groups. The patients were then divided into quartiles according to AKAP1 levels. A multivariate logistic regression model was used to assess the independent association of AKAP1 with CAD.

Results: The CAD group showed a lower AKAP1 concentration than the non-CAD group (P < 0.01). The AKAP1 level was correlated with a history of CAD (P < 0.001). The receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve analysis showed a low ability of AKAP1 in predicting CAD (area under the ROC curve = 0.649). Finally, in the multivariate logistic regression model with the highest quartile as the reference, the lowest quartile of AKAP1 remained significantly associated with an increased risk for CAD (odds ratio (OR) = 5.677, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.704 to 18.912, P = 0.005).

Conclusions: Our results confirmed that serum AKAP1 levels are inversely associated with CAD and may therefore be used as a marker for CAD prediction. But additional studies are needed to confirm and further elucidate our results.