Objective: To investigate the association of Wnt1-inducible signaling pathway protein 1 (WISP1) concentrations in circulation with the presence and severity of coronary artery disease (CAD).
Participants and methods: A total of 120 consecutive participants who underwent coronary angiography between May 2017 and July 2018 at our center were enrolled. Participants were divided into two groups based on the presence of CAD. Serum WISP1 levels were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to determine the association between variables and the presence of CAD.
Results: The average age of the study population was 59.8 years, 66.7% were male, and 58.3% were positive for CAD. Serum WISP1 levels were significantly higher in patients with CAD than non-CAD group (339.8 vs. 322.4 pg/ml, P = 0.012). Moreover, a stepwise increase in serum WISP1 levels was observed with the number of diseased vessels (zero-vessel, one-vessel, two-vessel, and three-vessel disease: 322.4, 324.7, 345.4, and 392.1 pg/ml, respectively, P < 0.001) or Gensini score (r = 0.376, P < 0.001). Importantly, serum WISP1 levels were positively associated with the presence of CAD ( β = 1.011, 95% confidence interval: 1.001-1.021, P = 0.026). This association persisted after adjusting for age, sex, hypertension, type 2 diabetes mellitus, hypercholesterolemia, smoking, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein ( β = 1.011, 95% confidence interval: 1.000-1.021, P = 0.047). In addition, serum WISP1 concentrations were positively correlated with BMI (r = 0.212, P = 0.020), insulin (r = 0.237, P = 0.009), and homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance (r = 0.223, P = 0.014).
Conclusion: We demonstrated for the first time that serum WISP1 concentration is associated with the presence and severity of CAD.