Monitoring serum chondroitin sulfate levels in patients submitted to coronary artery bypass surgery

Abstract

Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) are functionally important molecules of the arterial wall and play a crucial role in atherogenesis. Chondroitin sulfate/dermatan sulfate proteoglycans (CS/DSPGs) participate in several biological events through their GAG chains, and are also involved in the development of atherosclerosis. The aim of this study was to compare the pre- and post-operative levels of CS in serum of patients after coronary artery bypass graft surgery using a highly sensitive reversed-polarity capillary electrophoresis method and to investigate the correlation of CS with common biochemical lipid markers. It was found that CS values were significantly higher for all patients post-operatively and, furthermore, CS levels were statistically correlated to apolipoprotein A and B levels. Notably, the pre-operational lipid profile of the patient may be indicative of the values of 4-sulfated CS post-operationally. Furthermore, the obtained results highlight the clinical significance of CS levels in serum, since they may provide complementary information for the latent inflammatory state of the patient. Copyright (C) 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.