Molecule Signals Heart Disease in Early Stages

Study found high levels of protein predicted development of cardiovascular trouble.

By Ed Edelson
HealthDay Reporter
Monday, July 2, 2007; 12:00 AM

Copyright © 2007 ScoutNews, LLC. All rights reserved.

MONDAY, July 2 (HealthDay News) -- A molecule that could be a powerful new marker for heart disease and stroke has passed its first real-world test, researchers report.

In an eight-year study, high blood levels of myeloperoxidase (MPO) were closely associated with the early development of heart disease, and its predictive abilities were independent of classic risk factors such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure and diabetes. The finding is detailed in the July 10 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

"This is the first time this particular marker has been looked at in an apparently healthy population," said Dr. Stanley L. Hazen, head of the section of preventive cardiology and cardiac rehabilitation at the Cleveland Clinic. His group has been working on MPO for more than a decade.

Hazen has filed for patents on MPO as a biomarker for cardiovascular disease. MPO tests now are available commercially and "at least five pharmaceutical companies are working to develop inhibitors of MPO," Hazen said.

MPO is a protein secreted by white blood cells. It signals inflammation and releases a bleach-like substance that damages the cardiovascular system. "Over a decade ago, our group showed that it is involved in tissue damage," Hazen said. "There are very large research and genetic studies that link MPO to the development of heart disease."

The new report describes use of MPO levels as a screening tool in a healthy population living in Norfolk, England. MPO readings were taken from thousands of residents at the start of the study. Eight years later, the researchers compared those readings in the 1,138 people who had developed coronary artery disease and 2,237 people, matched for age and sex, who had not.

The incidence of heart disease was 49 percent higher in people ranked among the top 25 percent of MPO levels, compared to those in the lowest quarter. Their risk was 36 percent higher when traditional risk factors including cholesterol levels, high blood pressure, smoking and diabetes were taken into account.