Levels of Soluble Receptor for Advanced Glycation End Products in Acute Ischemic Stroke without a Source of Cardioembolism

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Low levels of soluble receptor for advanced glycation end products (sRAGE) are associated with three conventional vascular risk factors (3Fs: diabetes, hypertension, and hypercholesterolemia), nondiabetic coronary artery disease, and Alzheimer's disease. However, the association between sRAGE and acute ischemic stroke (AS), especially AS without a source of cardioembolism, has not yet been established. METHODS: Patients with AS without a source of cardioembolism (n=259) and age-matched controls (n=300) were grouped according to the presence of 3Fs: AS patients with and without 3Fs (3Fs+ AS and 3Fs- AS, respectively) and controls with and without 3Fs (3Fs+ control and 3Fs- control, respectively). Levels of sRAGE were analyzed among the four groups. RESULTS: sRAGE was significantly higher in the controls than in the AS patients (855 pg/mL vs. 690 pg/mL, p<0.01). sRAGE was significantly higher in 3Fs- controls (996 pg/mL, p<0.05) than in 3Fs+ controls (721 pg/mL), and in AS group regardless of the 3Fs (629 pg/mL in 3Fs- and 705 pg/mL in 3Fs+). The lowest tertile of sRAGE was associated with an increased risk of AS in the 3Fs- group [adjusted odds ratio (OR) 4.0, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.6-10.3, p<0.01] but not in the 3Fs+ group. The level of sRAGE was also correlated with neurological severity in the 3Fs- AS group (r=-0.32, p<0.05) but not in the 3Fs+ AS group. CONCLUSIONS: Low plasma levels of sRAGE is a potential biomarker for the risk of AS and may reflect the neurological severity of the condition, especially in subjects without identifiable conventional risk factors.