• Jingchao Li, Kun Li, Huiqi Wang, Le Wang, Xiaoping Li, and Feifei Liu.
• The Second Department of Neurology, Circulation Medicine, Department of Infectious Diseases, Medical Records Room of Red Flag Hospital Affiliated to Mudanjiang Medical College, Mudanjiang, China.
• Medicine (Baltimore). 2024 Jul 19; 103 (29): e38896e38896.

BackgroundThe purpose of this study was to investigate the role of legumain in metabolic dysfunction, diagnosis, and prognosis in patients with atherosclerosis.MethodsPlasma levels of legumain from patients with atherosclerosis (n = 320) and healthy controls (n = 320), expression of legumain in atheromatous plaque and secreted from monocyte-derived macrophages were measured using enzyme-linked-immunosorbent assay, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, Western blot, immunohistochemistry, and fluorescence.ResultsData demonstrated that atherosclerotic patients had higher plasma level of legumain than healthy controls, which was a diagnostic and prognostic marker and corrected with the degree of atherosclerosis. It found that atheromatous plaque and endothelial cell had higher legumain expression than non-atherosclerotic arteries (controls). Legumain showed significantly increased secretion from pro-inflammatory M1 compared to pro-resolving M2 macrophages during monocyte-derived macrophages, which was localized to structures resembling foam cells.ConclusionIn conclusion, our data indicate that legumain expression is upregulated in both plasma and plaques of patients with atherosclerosis, which is associated with metabolic dysfunction of endothelial cell and might be a diagnostic and prognostic marker of atherosclerosis.Copyright © 2024 the Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.

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