Abstract: Objective To study the relationship between serum pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A(PAPP-A)and plaque stability of coronary lesion.Methods Levels of serum PAPP-A were measured among 230 patients seemed as coronary heart disease(CHD)including 50 cases with acute myocardial infraction(AMI),110 cases with unstable angina pectoris(UAP),40 cases with stable angina pectoris(SAP)and 30 cases without CHD as control by enzyme-linked immunoassay(ELISA).Anginographic morphology of the coronary lesion was assessed in patients with CHD.Then,the serum PAPP-A levels were compared among different types of CHD and plaque.Results Serum PAPP-A levels were significantly higher in the AMI group(26.13±4.65)mIU/L and UAP group(20.37±5.78)mIU/L than in the SAP group(12.82±3.94)mIU/L and without CHD group(10.70±2.86)mIU/L(P<0.01,UAP group vs AMI group,P<0.05).Serum PAPP-A levels were significantly higher in the type Ⅱ lesions(24.52±4.82)mIU/L than in the other type lesions group(16.82±5.37)mIU/L and in the control group(10.70±2.86)mIU/L(P<0.01).Conclusion Serum PAPP-A level was closely associated with plaque stability of coronary lesion.

Key words: coronary atherosclerosis, coronary anginography, pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A