European Journal of Molecular & Clinical Medicine

Abstract

Previous research has linked raised serum uric acid levels to increased coronary lipid
plaque. Xanthine oxidoreductase (XOR) is a purine metabolism rate-limiting enzyme
that is thought to play an essential role in coronary atherosclerosis. However, the link
between coronary lipid plaque and XOR remains unknown. Patients with stable
coronary artery disease who had elective percutaneous coronary intervention using
near-infrared spectroscopy intravascular ultrasound (NIRS-IVUS) guidance were
included in the study.Based on a prior publication, they were categorised into three
groups: high, normal, and low plasma XOR activity. The researchers looked at
quantitative coronary angiography and grayscale IVUS. The primary endpoint was
NIRS-IVUS assessment of coronary lipid plaques in a nontarget artery with lipid core
burden index (LCBI) and maximum LCBI in 4 mm (maxLCBI4mm). Out of 68
patients, 11, 31, and 26 were classed as having low, normal, or high XOR activity.
Among the three groups, the high XOR activity group had the longest lesion length, the
smallest mini- mum lumen diameter, and the highest percentage of diameter stenosis in
a nontarget artery.Grayscale IVUS analysis revealed that the high XOR activity group
had a lower lumen area than the rest. In a nontarget vessel, LCBI (102.1 ± 56.5 versus
65.6 ± 48.5 vs 55.6 ± 37.8, p = 0.04) and maxLCBI4mm (474.4 ± 171.6 vs 347.4 ± 181.6,
294.0 ± 155.9, p = 0.04) were considerably greater in the high XOR group than in the
low and normal groups. In patients with stable coronary artery disease, higher XOR
activity was related to coronary lipid-rich plaque in a nontarget vessel.