N-3
polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) are thought to have protective effects against
cardiovascular disease. Here, we report the relationship between serum PUFA concentrations and plaque composition, as evaluated by virtual histology-intravascular ultrasound (VH-IVUS). Consecutive patients (n=61) who underwent
percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) were pre-operatively examined using VH-IVUS to assess the composition of culprit plaques. Gray-scale IVUS and VH-IVUS data of fibrous, fibro-fatty, necrotic core, and dense
calcium regions of plaques were estimated at the minimal
luminal area sites of culprit lesions. Serum levels of
high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (
hsCRP) and PUFAs, including
eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA),
docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), and
arachidonic acid (AA), were compared between patients with (ACS, n=27) and without
acute coronary syndrome (non-ACS, n=34) before PCI. Multiple logistic regression analysis of the data showed that EPA/AA under the median was more highly associated with ACS than
hsCRP over the median. In addition, EPA/AA was negatively correlated with the percentage of fibrous plaque regions and EPA/AA and DHA/AA were positively correlated with the percentage of dense
calcium regions in plaques. Furthermore, the correlation index of EPA/AA was the most highly (R=0.513) correlated with the percentage of dense
calcium regions in plaques.