Vaidutis Kučinskas
Background. We investigated biochemical atherosclerosis markers in Lithuanian families which at least three generations are from the same ethnolinguistic region. Differences and correlations between father and mother, father and child, mother and child, zemaiciai and aukstaiciai were analysed.
Material and methods. We investigated 99 families (father, mother and at least one child) from six ethnolinguistic regions of South, East and West Aukstai-tija, North, South and West Žemaitija of Lithuania. All 329 participants' serum samples were analysed for total choles -terol, LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, triglycerides (TG), ApoAI, ApoB and their ratio, Lp(a), hs-C reactive protein (hs-CRP), glucose, matrix metalloprotei-nase-9 (MMP-9) and interleukin-1 beta. Statistical analyses were performed using IBM SPSS Statistics 21. The Mann-Whitney-Wilcoxon test was used to evaluate discrepancy and for correlation analysis we used Pearson or Spearman correlation coefficient.
Results. Week (0.19<rs<0.25) but positive (p<0.01) correlations between father's and mother's glucose, total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and ApoB and moderate (rs=0.52, p<0.05) for MMP-9 were found. Also week assotiation was observed between father's and child's LDL cholesterol, ApoAI, ApoAI/ApoB markers. There was no association between mother's and child's tests results.
MMP-9 level in aukstaiciai father's group was associated with TG (rs=-0.28 p<0.05) and in aukstaiciai mother's group - with total cholesterol (rs=0.28 p<0.05), LDL-cholesterol (rp = 0.28, p<0.05) and Lp(a) (rs=0.39, p<0.01). In aukstaiciai children and aukstaiciai boys group MMP-9 was associated with glucose (rs=0.34, p<0.01 and rs=0.36 p<0.05 respectively) and in zemaiciai boys group - with HDL cholesterol. There was no MMP-9 association with other markers in girls group.
The incidence of lipid abnormalities for men and women was 79.8% and 78.8% for high total cholesterol, 68.7% and 70.7% for high LDL-cholesterol, 38.4% and 15.2% for high TG, 24.2 % and 10.1% for high glucose, respectively. HDL-cho-lesterol was low in 21.2% of men. In children 34.4% of total cholesterol, 22.8% of LDL-chol esterol and 9.2% of TG results were elevated.
Conclusion. In different ethnolin-guistic groups serum MMP-9 had week, but significant association with lipid markers. We found week MMP-9 and glucose correlation in children group. hs-CRP results were within normal ranges and could represent the latent course of atherosclerosis process, however the elevated atherogenic lipid markers turn individuals into high risk group to develop cardiovascular disease later.
Keywords: atherosclerosis, biochemical markers, lipids, interleukin-1 beta, matrix metalloproteinase-9, population of Lithuania.