Serum levels of total p-cresylsulphate are associated with angiographic coronary atherosclerosis severity in stable angina patients with early stage of renal failure.

OBJECTIVE p-Cresylsulphate (PCS), a protein-bound uraemic retention solute, is known to cause endothelial dysfunction and possibly plays a role in coronary atherosclerosis. We aimed to investigate the relationship of total PCS with traditional biomarkers associated with chronic coronary atherosclerosis. In addition, the relationship between serum total PCS levels and the severity of coronary artery stenosis was also explored. METHODS AND RESULTS Serum total PCS concentrations were measured by using the Ultra Performance LC System in 202 consecutive stable angina patients, and their associations with angiographic indexes of the number of diseased vessels and modified Gensini score were estimated. Patients with significant coronary artery stenosis have higher median serum total PCS levels than patients with normal coronary arteries. Statistically significant associations were observed between the serum total PCS levels and the number of diseased vessels (beta=0.261, p=0.0002), and modified Gensini score (beta=0.171, p=0.016). Using multivariate analysis, serum total PCS level was independently associated with the presence and severity of CAD. CONCLUSIONS This study indicates that serum total PCS levels are significantly higher in the presence of CAD and are correlated with the severity of the disease, which suggest that increased serum total PCS may be involved in the pathogenesis of coronary atherosclerosis.