Assessment of copeptin and obestatin levels in coronary artery disease patients

Abstract Background Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is classified into acute myocardial infarction (AMI), and unstable angina (UA). They are currently assessed clinically through myocardial enzymes, electrocardiography, risk score algorithms, and angiography. It is important to find a suitable marker to differentiate them from other causes of chest pain. Although copeptin and obestatin are involved in endothelial dysfunction, inflammation, atherosclerosis, and other pathological processes involved in cardiovascular disease (CVD), it is still unclear whether they are differentially expressed with changes in CVD severity including AMI. So, the current study aimed to evaluate the relationship between the plasma levels of copeptin and obestatin and the presence and severity of CVD. Materials and method This study included 90 participants separated into 4 groups. Group 1 (control group) included 20 normal healthy participants. Group 2 included 23 individuals with stable angina. Group 3 included 23 patients with UA. Group 4 included 24 patients with AMI. Blood samples were taken from all participants to assess fasting blood glucose and lipid profile in addition to obestatin and copeptin plasma levels. Gensini score was calculated for diseased patients. Results Obestatin levels were significantly elevated in the stable angina, UA, and AMI groups compared to the control group (P = 0.038, 0.003, and 0.002, respectively). However, no significant differences were recorded in glucose or copeptin levels among the studied groups. In the stable angina group, obestatin levels were positively correlated with copeptin (r=0.613, P =0.002) and Gensini scores (r=0.445, P =0.033). In the UA group, there were non-significant correlations between obestatin and copeptin levels with any variables. In the AMI patients, obestatin levels showed a significant positive correlation with only triglycerides (r=0.507, P = 0.011). However, copeptin had no significant correlations with any parameters in AMI patients. Conclusion Obestatin may be used as a probable marker in CVD prediction as it was significantly elevated in the stable angina, UA, and AMI groups compared to the normal controls. Also, it may be used for prediction of the course of stable angina as it was positively correlated with copeptin and Gensini score.