Venous plasma serotonin is not a proper biomarker for pulmonary arterial hypertension

Scand Cardiovasc J. 2014 Apr;48(2):106-10. doi: 10.3109/14017431.2014.886335. Epub 2014 Feb 24.

Abstract

Objectives: Serotonin (5-HT) most likely plays an important role in the pathogenesis of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). We aimed to test if venous plasma 5-HT is a potential biomarker of PAH. We also measured venous blood β-thromboglobulin (β-TG) in all participants to ensure that any increase in serotonin levels measured is due to platelet release.

Design: Blood samples from patients (n = 9) with pulmonary arterial hypertension (Group 1 of the World Health Organization classification of pulmonary hypertension) as well as healthy volunteers (n = 9) were analyzed. We used enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to measure venous platelet-poor plasma 5-HT and β-TG in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and in age-matched normal controls.

Results: Venous platelet-free plasma 5-HT and β-TG were almost similar in patients with PAH and healthy controls with only a slight trend toward increased 5-HT levels in patients with PAH. No correlation was found between venous platelet-poor plasma 5-HT and disease severity. There was no association between venous plasma 5-HT and the mean pulmonary artery pressure.

Conclusions: Our data suggest that 5-HT is not significantly elevated in venous platelet-free plasma in patients with PAH and may accordingly not be a useful biomarker in this condition.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Biomarkers / blood
  • Case-Control Studies
  • Familial Primary Pulmonary Hypertension / blood*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Serotonin / blood*
  • beta-Thromboglobulin / metabolism

Substances

  • Biomarkers
  • beta-Thromboglobulin
  • Serotonin