A cross-sectional study of the association between heat shock protein 27 antibody titers, pro-oxidant–antioxidant balance and metabolic syndrome in patients with angiographically-defined coronary artery disease

To investigate the association between serum antibody titers to Hsp27 (anti-Hsp27) and pro-oxidant–antioxidant balance (PAB) in patients with angiographically-defined coronary artery disease (CAD) with or without the metabolic syndrome (MS). Subjects ( n = 243) were classified into MS+ ( n = 161) and MS− ( n = 82) subgroups, based on the AHA/NHBLI criteria. Serum anti-Hsp27 titers were found to be significantly higher in the MS+ vs. MS− group. However, no significant difference was observed in serum PAB values. When assessed for individual components of MS, increased serum anti-Hsp27 was found to be higher in subgroups with elevated triglycerides, elevated blood pressure and reduced high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C). Subgroups of patients with elevated triglycerides had higher PAB values. HDL-C was the only significant predictor of anti-Hsp27 in the population as a whole. The evidence from this investigation indicates the presence of elevated anti-Hsp27 in patients with concurrent CAD and MS compared to those with CAD alone. ► Anti-Hsp27 titres were elevated in patients with concurrent CAD and metabolic syndrome compared to those with only CAD. ► Serum prooxidant-antioxidant balance was not elevated in the metabolic syndrome group beyond what is caused by CAD. ► Accumulation of MS features in patients with CAD could be associated with increased risk of vascular complications.