Soluble sortilin is released by activated platelets and its circulating levels are associated with cardiovascular risk factors

Abstract Objective Sortilin is involved multilaterally in the development of atherosclerosis. Here, we examine the release of soluble sortilin (sSortilin) from platelets and assess the association between circulating levels of sSoritlin and atherothrombosis such as coronary artery disease (CAD). Methods and results sSortilin levels measured in healthy subjects were higher in serum than in plasma (38.4 ± 8.7 vs. 15.8 ± 2.9 ng/mL; p p p s  = 0.33; p  = 0.0085) and showed significant positive associations with cardiovascular risk factors: low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (r s  = 0.37; p  = 0.0023), triglycerides (r s  = 0.28; p  = 0.023), and serum uric acid (r s  = 0.30; p  = 0.017) in non-CAD, and γ-glutamyltransferase (r s  = 0.43; p  = 0.020) and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (r s  = 0.33, p  = 0.0022) in CAD. Conclusion Elevated plasma sSortilin levels may be associated with in vivo platelet activation and could be a risk factor for atherothrombosis.