Analysis of serum concentrations of caspases-1, -8, and adipocytokines in patients with heart failure with different ejection fractions

Aim . To conduct a comparative analysis of a complex of programmed cell death biomarkers (caspases-1 and -8, adipocytokines — leptin, adiponectin, and interleukin-6 (IL-6)) in patients with heart failure (HF) and in individuals without this disease. Material and methods. A total of 154 patients aged 59 to 72 years were examined: 54 patients with HF (study group) and 100 patients without HF (control group). Concentrations of caspases-1, -8, adiponectin, leptin, and interleukin-6 were determined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results . Patients with HF had significantly higher concentrations of caspase-1 and IL-6 than those in the control group. To confirm the potential diagnostic efficacy of the studied biomarkers, a ROC analysis was performed. It showed that when comparing the group of patients with HF and the control group, the highest areas under the curve were characteristic of caspase-1 and IL-6. The median caspase-8 concentration in HF with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) 422,2 [139,7-1246,2] pg/ml is 3 times higher than in the group of patients with HF with preserved LVEF — 126,8 [46,8-293,5] pg/ml. Conclusion . A relationship was found between serum concentrations of caspase-1 and IL-6 and HF, while the concentration of caspase-8 was associated with LVEF and was significantly higher in the subgroup with HFrEF.