A Variant in COX-2 Gene Is Associated with Left Main Coronary Artery Disease and Clinical Outcomes of Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting

As a particular severe phenotype of coronary artery disease (CAD), left main coronary artery disease (LMCAD) is heritable. Genetic variants related to prostaglandin metabolism are associated with LMCAD. Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), a key synthase in prostaglandin pathways, displays high density in atherosclerotic lesions and promotes early atherosclerosis in CAD progression. We hypothesized that genetic variants in COX-2 gene contribute to LMCAD phenotype susceptibility compared to more peripheral coronary artery disease (MPCAD). In this study, we genotyped COX-2 rs5275, rs5277, and rs689466 of 1544 CAD patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) and found that rs5277 C allele carriage was associated with LMCAD (adjusted OR: 1.590; 95% CI: 1.103~2.291; p = 0.013). Furtherly, long-term follow-up data suggested that rs5277 C allele carriage increased risk of major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCE) in the whole cohort (adjusted HR: 1.561; 95% CI: 1.025~2.377; p = 0.038) and LMCAD subgroup (adjusted HR: 2.014; 95% CI: 1.036~3.913; p = 0.039) but not in MPCAD subgroup (adjusted HR: 1.375; 95% CI: 0.791~2.392; p = 0.259). In conclusion, we demonstrate that COX-2 rs5277 C allele increases the risk of left main coronary artery lesion and is also correlated with poor prognosis of LMCAD patients with CABG therapy.