Small-Size Circulating Endothelial Microparticles in Coronary Artery Disease

OBJECTIVES: Several recent lines of evidence indicate that endothelial microparticles are a new biomarker that can be used to monitor endothelial dysfunction in coronary artery disease (CAD). However, data concerning the detection of small microparticles (diameter <0.5 µm) are lacking. The aim of this study was to detect small-size endothelial microparticles (SEMPs) in CAD patients to monitor endothelial dysfunction. METHODS: In total, 19 CAD patients and 14 healthy subjects were recruited. The absolute numbers and percentages of CD31(+)/CD42b(−) SEMPs and CD62E(+) SEMPs were determined by flow cytometry. Clinical parameters were also recorded. RESULTS: The mean percentage of CD62E(+) SEMPs was higher in the CAD patient group than in the healthy subject group. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of the percentage of CD62E(+) SEMPs was 0.795, and the cut-off value was 1.35. There was no correlation between the percentage of CD62E(+) SEMPs and various clinical parameters. CONCLUSION: The percentage of CD62E(+) SEMPs is a potential biomarker for monitoring endothelial function in CAD.