Association of serum angiopoietin-1, angiopoietin-2 and angiopoietin-2 to angiopoietin-1 ratio with heart failure in patients with acute myocardial infarction

The aim of the present study was to investigate the association of the serum angiopoietin (Ang)-1 and Ang-2 levels and the Ang-2 to Ang-1 ratio (Ang-2/Ang-1) with heart failure (HF) in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) during hospitalization. The serum Ang-1 and Ang-2 levels of the AMI patients were measured at admission to hospital. The correlations between serum Ang-1, Ang-2 and Ang-2/Ang-1 with HF were examined. Among 103 patients, 20 developed HF during hospitalization. The serum Ang-2 level and Ang-2/Ang-1 were found to be significantly higher in the patients with HF than in the patients without HF (2,203.1±122.0 vs. 2,102.3±114.4 pg/ml, P=0.001 and 11.4±1.6×10(-2) vs. 10.6±1.1×10(-2), P=0.007, respectively). Serum Ang-2 level and Ang-2/Ang-1 were negatively correlated with left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF; r=-0.352, P<0.001 and r=-0.365, P<0.001, respectively) and positively correlated with the natural logarithm of the level of N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (LnNT-proBNP, r=0.367, P<0.001 and r=0.304, P=0.003, respectively) and peak cardiac troponin T (cTnT, r=0.421, P<0.001 and r=0.278, P=0.009, respectively). However, the serum Ang-1 level was not found to correlate significantly with LVEF (r= 0.194, P= 0.05), LnNT-proBNP (r=-0.116, P=0.266) or peak cTnT (r=-0.056, P=0.607). In multivariable logistic regression analysis, Ang-2 (P=0.031), Ang-2/Ang-1 (P=0.018) and NT-proBNP (P=0.001) were revealed to be independently associated with HF. The present study reveals that Ang-2 levels and Ang-2/Ang-1 are independent predictors of HF in AMI patients during hospitalization.