Assessment of Serum Levels of Soluble Urokinase Plasminogen Activator Receptor (suPAR) in Patients with Periodontitis and Atheroscletotic Cardiovascular Disease
Author(s): Safa Ali Hamad* and Maha Shukri Mahmood
Abstract
Background: Soluble urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (suPAR) has been identified as a biomarker of inflammation and immune activation. SuPAR has been employed as a marker of inflammation in the assessment of patients with cardiac disorders in recent years, either alone or in conjunction with other biomarkers of inflammation. Earlier studies have shown that suPAR is involved in the homeostasis of leukocyte and endothelial cells and hence in coronary heart disease (CHD) and periodontitis development. Subjects, materials and methods: This study recruited 88 subjects, both sexes, ages ranged from 36 to 66 years old, and were arranged into 4 groups: group A, 25 patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) but no periodontal disease, group B, 25 patients with periodontitis but no systemic disease, group C, 25 patients with both ASCVD and periodontitis, and group D, 13 subjects with no systemic disease and good oral hygiene. Periodontitis was assessed using clinical periodontal parameters probing pocket depth (PPD) and clinical attachment level (CAL). Following clinical evaluation, 5ml of venous blood was taken from each participant. The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was then used to evaluate suPAR levels in the blood. Results: The mean values of PPD and CAL were higher in group C than in B. For the serum level of suPAR, there was a significant difference between group C and group D at (p?0.05) with large effect size (0.152). Regarding the correlations between suPAR and clinical periodontal parameters, there was a significant positive correlation with CAL in group B and group C at (p?0.05). Conclusion: The progressive increase in serum suPAR level in the study groups compared to the control group could reflect the role of periodontitis in atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.