Association of plasma apolipoprotein CIII, high sensitivity C-reactive protein and tumor necrosis factor-[alpha] contributes to the clinical features of coronary heart disease in Li and Han ethnic groups in China

Background Apolipoprotein CIII (apoCIII) is an independent risk for coronary heart disease (CHD). In this study, we investigated the associations among plasma apoCIII, hs-CRP and TNF-[alpha] levels and their roles in the clinical features of CHD in the Li and Han ethnic groups in China. Methods A cohort of 474 participants was recruited (238 atherosclerotic patients and 236 healthy controls) from the Li and Han ethnic groups. Blood samples were obtained to evaluate apoCIII, TNF-[alpha], hs-CRP and lipid profiles. Chi-squared, t-tests, and Kruskal-Wallis or Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney tests, Pearson or Spearman correlation tests and multiple unconditional logistic regression were employed to analyze lipid profiles and variations in plasma apoCIII, TNF-[alpha], hs-CRP in subgroups of CHD and their contributions to CHD using SPSS version 20.0 software. Results Compared to healthy participants, unfavorable lipid profiles were identified in CHD patients with enhanced systolic pressure, diastolic pressure, fasting blood sugar (FBS), TG, TC, LDL-C, apoB, Lp(a) (P < 0.05, TC and Lp(a); P < 0.01, FBS, TG, LDL-C, apoB); and lower HDL-C and apoAI (P < 0.05). Plasma apoCIII, TNF-[alpha] and hs-CRP levels were higher in CHD individuals (16.77 [+ or -] 5.98 mg/dL vs. 10.91 [+ or -] 4.97 mg/dL; 17.23 [+ or -] 6.34 pg/mL vs. 9.49 [+ or -] 3.88 pg/mL; 9.55 [+ or -] 7.32 mg/L vs. 2.14 [+ or -] 1.56 mg/L; P < 0.01 vs. healthy participants). Identical patterns were obtained in the Li and Han groups (16.46 [+ or -] 6.08 mg/dL vs. 11.72 [+ or -] 5.16 mg/dL; 15.71 [+ or -] 5.52 pg/mL vs. 9.74 [+ or -] 4.31 pg/mL; 8.21 [+ or -] 7.09 mg/L vs. 2.15 [+ or -] 1.51 mg/L in Li people; 17.05 [+ or -] 5.90 mg/dL vs. 10.07 [+ or -] 4.63 mg/dL; 18.59 [+ or -] 6.73 pg/mL vs. 9.23 [+ or -] 3.38 pg/mL; 10.75 [+ or -] 7.44 mg/L vs. 2.12 [+ or -] 1.63 mg/L in Han people; P < 0.01). Paired comparisons of subgroups with stable angina, unstable angina, and acute myocardial infarction (AMI) revealed significant variation in plasma levels of apoCIII, TNF-[alpha] and hs-CRP (P < 0.01), but not among subgroups with mild, moderate and severe stenosis (P > 0.05). Plasma apoCIII, TNF-[alpha] and hs-CRP contributed to the development of CHD (OR = 2.554, 7.252, 6.035, P < 0.01) with paired correlations in CHD patients (apoCIII vs. TNF-[alpha], r = 0.425; apoCIII vs. hs-CRP, r = 0.319; TNF-[alpha] vs. hs-CRP, r = 0.400, P < 0.01). Conclusions Association among plasma apoCIII, hs-CRP and TNF-[alpha] interacts with