Implications of the Serum Concentrations of Neuregulin-4 (Nrg4) in Patients with Coronary Artery Disease: A Case-Control Study

Fatemeh Taheri; Mohammad Javad  Hosseinzadeh-Attar; Elham Alipoor; Elaheh  Honarkar-Shafie; Mehdi Yaseri; Ali  Vasheghani-Farahani

doi:10.18502/jthc.v18i3.14111

Fatemeh Taheri Department of Clinical Nutrition, School of Nutritional Sciences and Dietetics, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Mohammad Javad Hosseinzadeh-Attar Department of Clinical Nutrition, School of Nutritional Sciences and Dietetics, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Elham Alipoor Cardiac Primary Prevention Research Center, Cardiovascular Diseases Research Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Elaheh Honarkar-Shafie Department of Clinical Nutrition, School of Nutritional Sciences and Dietetics, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Mehdi Yaseri Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Ali Vasheghani-Farahani Cardiac Primary Prevention Research Center, Cardiovascular Diseases Research Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/jthc.v18i3.14111

Keywords: Coronary artery disease; Neuregulin-4; Adipokines

Abstract

Background: Neuregulin-4 (Nrg4), a novel brown fat-enriched factor, has been reported to play a crucial role in developing metabolic disorders. The current case-control study aimed to investigate the association between serum Nrg4 and coronary artery disease (CAD).

Methods: This study enrolled 43 patients with CAD and 43 subjects with normal coronary arteries diagnosed by coronary angiography. Anthropometric and biochemical parameters were measured and recorded. The serum Nrg4 level was determined using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The relationships between circulating Nrg4 and CAD and other clinical parameters were analyzed. A receiver operating characteristic analysis was applied to assess the utility of Nrg4 in identifying CAD.

Results: The study population comprised 86 patients, including 64 men (74.4%), at a mean age of 57.83±6.01 years. Patients with CAD had significantly lower serum Nrg4 than the control group (P<0.001). The serum Nrg4 level was negatively correlated with anthropometric variables, including the body mass index, waist circumference, and the waist-to-hip ratio, fasting blood glucose, and the triglyceride-glucose index (P<0.05). In multivariable-adjusted regression analysis, the odds of CAD decreased by 46% per 1 SD elevation in the serum Nrg4 level (OR, 0.54; 95% CI, 0.40 to 0.73; P<0.001) after controlling for potential confounders. Nrg4 showed a significantly high area under the curve value (AUC, 0.85; 95% CI, 0.75 to 0.94) with 81.4% sensitivity and 95.3% specificity to identify CAD.

Conclusion: Generally, the serum level of Nrg4 declines in patients with CAD, which might be an independent risk factor for CAD.