Desphospho-uncarboxylated matrix Gla protein is associated with increased aortic stiffness in a general population

• Published in: Journal of human hypertension Vol. 30; no. 7; pp. 418 - 423
• Main Authors: Mayer Jr, O, Seidlerová, J, Wohlfahrt, P, Filipovský, J, Vaněk, J, Cífková, R, Windrichová, J, Topolčan, O, Knapen, M H J, Drummen, N E A, Vermeer, C
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 01.07.2016; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: 692/499; Adult; Aged; Analysis; Aorta; Aortic Diseases - blood; Aortic Diseases - diagnosis; Aortic Diseases - physiopathology; Arteries; Biomarkers - blood; Calcification; Calcification (ectopic); Calcium-Binding Proteins - blood; Cross-Sectional Studies; Czech Republic; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; Epidemiology; Extracellular Matrix Proteins - blood; Female; Health Administration; Humans; Hypertension; Linear Models; Logistic Models; Male; Matrix Gla Protein; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Middle Aged; Multivariate Analysis; Odds Ratio; original-article; Peripheral Arterial Disease - blood; Peripheral Arterial Disease - diagnosis; Peripheral Arterial Disease - physiopathology; Phosphorylation; Public Health; Pulse Wave Analysis; Risk Factors; Statistics; Up-Regulation; Vascular Stiffness; Vitamin K; Czech Republic
• ISSN: 0950-9240; 1476-5527
• DOI: 10.1038/jhh.2015.55

Matrix Gla protein (MGP), a natural inhibitor of calcification, strongly correlates with the extent of coronary calcification. Vitamin K is the essential cofactor for the activation of MGP. The nonphosphorylated-uncarboxylated isoform of MGP (dp-ucMGP) reflects the status of this vitamin. We investigated whether there is an association between dp-ucMGP and stiffness of elastic and muscular-type large arteries in a random sample from the general population. In a cross-sectional design, we analyzed 1087 subjects from the Czech post-MONICA study. Aortic and femoro-popliteal pulse wave velocities (PWVs) were measured using a Sphygmocor device. Dp-ucMGP concentrations were assessed in freshly frozen samples by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay methods using the Ina K tif MGP iSYS pre-commercial kit developed by IDS and VitaK. Aortic PWV significantly ( P <0.0001) increased across the dp-ucMGP quartiles. After adjustment for all potential confounders, aortic PWV independently correlated with dp-ucMGP (with beta coefficient (s.d.) 11.61 (5.38) and P -value=0.031). In a categorized manner, subjects in the top quartile of dp-ucMGP (⩾ 671 pmol l −1 ) had a higher risk of elevated aortic PWV, with corresponding adjusted odds ratio (95% confidence interval) 1.73 (1.17–2.5). In contrast, no relation between dp-ucMGP and femoro-popliteal PWV was found. In conclusion, increased dp-ucMGP, which is a circulating biomarker of vitamin K status and vascular calcification, is independently associated with aortic stiffness, but not with stiffness of distal muscular-type arteries.