Proteomic identification of biomarkers of vascular injury

Predictive biomarkers may be beneficial for detecting, diagnosing, and assessing the risk of restenosis and vascular injury. We utilized proteomic profiling to identify protein markers in the blood following vascular injury, and corroborated the differential protein expression with immunological approaches. Rats underwent carotid artery injury, and plasma was collected after 2 or 5 weeks. Proteomic profiling was carried out by two-dimensional differential in-gel electrophoresis. The differentially expressed plasma proteins were identified by mass spectroscopy and confirmed by immunoblotting. Proteomic profiling by two-dimensional differential in-gel electrophoresis and mass spectroscopy revealed plasma proteins that were differentially expressed at 2 weeks after injury. Among the proteins identified included vitamin D binding protein (VDBP), aldolase A (aldo A), and apolipoproteinE (apoE). Immunoblotting results validated a significant reduction in these proteins in the plasma at 2 or 5 weeks after vascular injury, in comparison to control animals without vascular injury. These findings suggest that VDBP, aldo A, and apoE may be biomarkers for vascular injury, which will have important prognostic and diagnostic implications.