Differential protein profiling as a potential multi-marker approach for obese patients with heart failure: A retrospective study

Identification of novel circulating biomarkers predicting death and major cardio-metabolic events in obese patients with heart failure (HF) remains a research priority. In this study, we compared multi-marker profile of non-obese (NOB) and obese (OB) HF patients in relation to mortality outcome. The new multiplex proximity extension assay technology was used to analyze the levels of 92 proteins in plasma samples from HF patients according to body mass index (BMI) categories. At 2–year follow–up, all-cause mortality rates were significantly greater in NOB patients (BMI < 30 kg/m²) compared to the OB patients (BMI > 30 kg/m²) with HF (odds ratio 26; 95% CI: 1.14–624, p < 0,04). Quantitative proteomic analysis revealed thirteen distinct proteins expression profiles of OB and NOB HF patients. Among these proteins, RAGE, CXCL6, CXCL1, CD40, NEMO, VEGF-A, KLK6, PECAM1, PAR1, MMP1, BNP and NTproBNP were down-regulated, whereas leptin was up-regulated in OB HF patients. In addition, an inverse correlation between plasma BNP levels and leptin in OB HF patients was observed (r = −0.58 p = 0.02). This study identifies specific plasma protein signature in OB and NOB patients with HF in relation to mortality outcome.