The length of telomeres (TLs) that protect chromosome ends may reflect the age of cells as well as the degree of genetic material damage caused by external factors. Since leukocyte telomere length is associated with cardiovascular diseases, the aim of this study was to evaluate whether leukocyte TL reflects femoral artery wall telomeres of patients with atherosclerosis and lower limb ischemia. Samples of femoral artery wall and blood were collected from 32 patients qualified to surgical revascularization. The analysis included blood and artery wall telomere length measurement and biochemical parameters. The study indicated that there was a moderate correlation between artery wall TL and leukocyte TL. Leukocyte TL was, on average, two times shorter than artery wall TL and correlated with the number of white blood cells. In turn, artery TL was impacted by total cholesterol level. The results suggest that the length of leukocyte telomeres may reflect artery wall TL and indirectly reflect the processes taking place in the artery wall in patients with atherosclerosis.
Keywords: atherosclerosis; cholesterol; inflammation markers; telomere length.