Plasma ghrelin levels are closely associated with severity and morphology of angiographically-detected coronary atherosclerosis in Chinese patients with diabetes mellitus

Aim: Low plasma ghrelin level was found to be associated with diabetes, and ghrelin was shown to inhibit pro-atherogenic changes in experimental models of atherosclerosis. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between plasma ghrelin levels and coronary atherosclerotic lesions in Chinese patients with diabetes. Methods: Plasma ghrelin levels were measured using an ELISA kit. The severity of coronary artery disease (CAD) was determined via angiography. Composition of atherosclerotic plaques was detected via coronary CT angiography. Results: A total of 178 patients with diabetes were recruited. Among the patients, 70 were diagnosed with acute coronary syndrome (ACS), 82 with stable angina pectoris (SAP) and 26 without coronary angiographic finding (controls). A negative correlation was found between ghrelin levels and the severity of the CAD, as determined via the Gensini score (r-0.2434; P=0.0217). In diabetic patients with CAD and a complex lesion, the plasma ghrelin levels were significantly lower than in those with a simple lesion (ACS group: 3.81 0.49 ng/mL vs 4.72 0.50 ng/mL, P<0.0001; SAP group: 4.21 0.52 ng/mL vs 4.76 0.59 ng/mL, P=0.0397). Angiographicallydetected complex lesion was an independent factor associated with ghrelin levels (adjusted beta coefficient=-0.67, 95% Cl -0.97 to -0.37, P<0.0001). Conclusion: Low plasma ghrelin level is closely related to angiographically-detected severity and the complex lesion morphology in Chinese diabetic patients with CAD.