Calcification marker matrix G1a protein in patients with hyperlipidemia

At the site of atherosclerotic plaque formation, proliferating vascular muscle cells express Matrix-Gla-protein (MGP) which depends on vitamin K and plays a regulatory role in tissue calcification. Measurements of MGP in serum showed significantly higher values in 66 patients with hyperlipidemia compared to healthy controls. MGP correlated with cholesterol, triglyceride, and low-density lipoprotein, but not with the adhesion molecule GMP-140. The evaluation of the patients' life and nutritional habits showed that nearly exclusively the patients who regularly consume fruit had low MGP values. Smokers had high MGP levels, three times higher than non-smokers. A decrease in MGP levels could be shown already three weeks after inpatient rehabilitation comprising therapeutic exercise and change in nutrition.