Serum Endocan Level and the Severity of Coronary Artery Disease: A Pilot Study

Endothelial-specific molecule 1 (endocan) is expressed in endothelial cells. We investigated the relationship between acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and serum endocan levels. We included 30 individuals as a control group and 53 patients diagnosed with ACS. The severity of coronary artery disease was assessed by a modified Gensini stenosis and SYNTAX scoring system. There was a significant difference in serum endocan levels between the control group and the ACS group (0.75 +/- 0.13 vs 0.86 +/- 0.25 ng/mL, P = .014). There was also a significant difference in serum endocan levels between diabetic patients with ACS and nondiabetic patients with ACS (1.02 +/- 0.33 vs 0.81 +/- 0.21 ng/mL, P = .016). There was no significant correlation between serum endocan level, Gensini, and SYNTAX score (r = .11, P = .53 and r = .16, P = .37). Endocan, a new biomarker of endothelial pathology, is significantly increased in patients with ACS.