Correlation between circulating adiponectin levels and coronary plaque regression during aggressive lipid-lowering therapy in patients with acute coronary syndrome: Subgroup analysis of JAPAN-ACS study

Objective The Japan assessment of pitavastatin and atorvastatin in acute coronary syndrome (JAPAN-ACS) study demonstrated that aggressive lipid-lowering therapy with a statin resulted in a significant regression of coronary atherosclerotic plaques in patients with ACS. Adiponectin is an adipocyte-derived protein with anti-atherogenic properties. Here, we investigated the association between adiponectin levels and the change in the plaque volume in ACS patients. Methods Intravascular ultrasound (IVUS)-guided percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) was undertaken, followed by the initiation of statin treatment, in 238 patients with ACS. Follow-up IVUS was performed between 8 and 12 months after the PCI. The percent change in the plaque volume (%PV) in a non-culprit coronary artery segment was evaluated. The serum adiponectin and lipid parameters were measured both at baseline and at the follow-up. Results At baseline, adiponectin was correlated positively with HDL-cholesterol and negatively correlated with triglyceride, but no correlation was observed with the PV. Adiponectin levels increased significantly from 7.8 ± 4.6 μg/mL at baseline to 10.3 ± 6.9 μg/mL at the 8–12 months follow-up. The increase in adiponectin was also associated with an increase of HDL-cholesterol and decrease of triglyceride, however, no significant correlation was observed with the %PV. A significantly higher incidence of major adverse cardiac events (MACE) was observed in patients with hypo-adiponectinemia at baseline. A multiple logistic regression analysis identified adiponectin as a significant independent predictor of MACE. Conclusion Adiponectin levels measured after PCI could serve as a marker of MACE in patients with ACS.