Microbleeds in ischemic stroke are associated with lower serum adiponectin and higher soluble E-selectin levels.

Abstract: Background: Cerebral microbleeds (CMBs) are the important indicators of cerebral small vessel disease. However, it is still unclear whether endothelial dysfunction is involved in CMBs. In this study, we performed a prospective study to investigate the correlation between sE-selectin (soluble E-selectin) or adiponectin and the prevalence of CMBs. Methods: We recruited 133 consecutive patients with first-ever ischemic stroke for this study. Finally, 126 patients were analyzed. The number and presence of CMBs were detected and evaluated on susceptibility-weighted magnetic resonance imaging within two weeks after symptom onset. We assessed the serum levels of adiponectin and sE-selectin for patients. Results: CMBs were detected in 63 subjects (50%) within 126 patients and more prevalent in mixed brain regions (55.6%). In binary logistic regression analysis, each 1SD-increase in adiponectin level was significantly conversely associated with the prevalence of CMBs after adjusting for age, sex and cardiovascular risk factors (OR=0.55; 95% CI: 0.36–0.84); but sE-selectin was significantly positively associated with the prevalence of CMBs (OR=1.09; 95% CI: 1.02–1.15). Furthermore, partial correlation analyses showed that sE-selectin remained significantly associated with and correlated conversely to adiponectin (r=−0.452, p =0.001). Conclusions: Endothelial injury may play a role in the pathogenesis of CMBs, and serum levels of adiponectin and sE-selectin were closely related to CMBs. Adiponectin might be protective for the prevalence of CMBs. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]