Impact of biological matrix on inflammatory protein biomarker quantification based on targeted mass spectrometry.

Background: Serum and plasma are widely used matrices in biological and clinical studies. To improve reliability and consistency of markers quantification, the influence of these matrices on proteins was evaluated by targeted mass spectrometry.

Results: 65 proteins were quantified in matched blood samples collected in serum, ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid and heparin plasma tubes from 40 healthy and 10 pathological individuals.

Plasma MMP2/TIMP4 Ratio at Follow-up Assessment Predicts Disease Progression of Idiopathic Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension.

Purpose: Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and tissue inhibitors of MMPs (TIMPs) are of particular interest in the remodeling processes of pulmonary hypertension. The aim of this study was to investigate MMP/TIMP ratios of selected biomarkers (MMP2, MMP9, TIMP1, TIMP4) at follow-up examination (V2) and their prognostic value in patients with idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (iPAH).

Methods: Blood samples were taken from iPAH patients during right heart catheterization at diagnosis (V1, from 2003 to 2012) and first follow-up examination (V2).

Circulating Angiopoietin-1 Is Not a Biomarker of Disease Severity or Prognosis in Pulmonary Hypertension.

Background: Circulating angiopoietin-1 (Ang-1) has been linked to pulmonary hypertension (PH) in experimental studies. However, the clinical relevance of Ang-1 as a biomarker in PH remains unknown. We aimed to investigate the prognostic and clinical significance of Ang-1 in PH using data from the prospectively recruiting Giessen PH Registry.