Potential circulating biomarkers of atherosclerotic plaque vulnerability in patients in the early recovery period of atherothrombotic stroke

Despite the informative value of ultrasound examination of atherosclerotic vascular lesions, predicting­ the plaque vulnerabili­ty remains difficult. Circulating blood biomarkers could provide additional criteria that would allow better determination of the risk of recurrent stroke. The aim of our study was to estimate the level of C-reactive protein (CRP), low-density lipoproteins (LDL) and lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2) in the blood of patients in the early recovery period of atherothrombotic stroke depending on the density of atherosclerotic plaque according to duplex scanning of cerebral vessels. Clinical and laboratory analysis of 69 men and 61 women aged (60.42 ± 7.40) years in the early recovery period of atherothrombotic stroke was conducted. Depending on the structure of the atherosclerotic plaque the examinees were divided into two groups with stable (n = 80) and unstable (n = 50) atherosclerotic layers. The blood lipid spectrum was examined on a biochemical analyzer Screen master, the level of CRP was determined with a diagnostic kit and that of Lp-PLA2 by ELISA. Significantly higher levels of LDL, CRP and Lp-PLA2 were observed in patients with unstable atherosclerotic plaque compared to patients with stable atherosclerotic plaque in the early recovery period of atherothrombotic stroke. The increased level of LDL, CRP, and Lp-PLA2 in patients with cerebral atherosclerosis can be considered as an indicator of the vulnerability of atherosclerotic plaques, prone to rupture, and as a prognostic marker of repeated acute ischemic events. Keywords: atherosclerotic plaque, C-reactive protein, lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2, low density lipoproteins, recovery period of ischemic stroke