The expression and significance of serum caveolin-1 in patients with Kawasaki disease.

: We investigated the expression of caveolin-1 (Cav-1) in Kawasaki disease (KD) and analyzed its relationship with coronary artery lesions (CALs). Cav-1 participated in the progression of CAL in KD. A total of 68 children with KD (23 with CALs), age matched with a fever control group (F, n = 28) and a normal control group (N, n = 24) were enrolled in this study. Cav-1 expression was detected using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The results are the following: (1) Compared with the F and N, Cav-1 expression was significantly increased in the children with KD (P < 0.05); there was no significant difference in Cav-1 between the F and N. (2) The serum level of Cav-1 was significantly higher in children with KD and CALs during the acute phase than in children with KD without CALs (P < 0.05). (3) Serum Cav-1 may be a biomarker that reflects CALs in children with KD based on a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. (4) Those children with KD who were given intravenous immunoglobulin (2 g/kg, 10-12 h) during the acute phase showed decreased expression of Cav-1 compared to the N. Conclusions are as follows: (1) The serum level of Cav-1 during the acute phase of KD increased significantly, while in KD patients with CALs the increase was even greater. (2) Based on our ROC curve analysis, Cav-1 may be a predictor of CALs in children with KD.