Abstract
Proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9), a novel target for low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C)-lowering therapy, has been found to possess multiple off-target effects in humans. The aim of the present study was to investigate the association of blood pressure (BP) with plasma PCSK9 levels in a large Chinese cohort and the relation of PCSK9 level to carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) in hypertensive patients. A total of 805 patients without lipid-lowering drug therapy were consecutively enrolled. First, the relationship between BP and PCSK9 was evaluated in hypertensives and normotensives. Furthermore, we examined the relation of PCSK9 to cIMT in 256 enrolled patients who had received a carotid ultrasound test. Plasma PCSK9 levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and cITM of left and right carotid arteries was assessed by B-mode ultrasound. There was no significant difference in PCSK9 levels between hypertensives and normotensives. PCSK9 level was not associated with systolic and diastolic BP and pulse pressure in hypertensives and normotensives regardless of sex. A positive correlation between PCSK9 and maximum-IMT and mean-MIT in hypertensives was found in univariate analyses, whereas such an association was absent in normotensives. In addition, the positive association of PCSK9 with cIMT disappeared in hypertensives in multivariate analyses. PCSK9 level is not associated with systolic or diastolic BP in hypertensives or normotensives, but it positively correlates with cIMT in hypertensives in univariate but not multivariate analyses, and further researches are needed.