Abstract:

Objective     To explore the different expressions and significance of Nelin in the peripheral blood of healthy controls and patients with varicose veins of lower extremity. Methods    A total of 57 patients with varicose veins of lower extremity treated in our hospital and 60 healthy controls were enrolled in the study. The expression of Nelin mRNA in the peripheral blood was detected with RT-PCR; Nelin protein in the peripheral blood was determined with double-antibody sandwich ELISA technique. Results   The results of RT-PCR showed that the expressions of Nelin mRNA in patients and controls were 0.226±0.070 and 0.718±0.114 respectively (t=9.028, P<0.01), with statistical difference.  ELISA examination showed that Nelin protein was detectable in all serum samples, which was (2.61±1.73) ng/mL in patients and (3.64±1.65)ng/mL in controls (t=2.92, P<0.01). The difference was statistically significant. Conclusion    The expression of Nelin in patients with varicose veins is significantly lower than that in healthy controls at both transcription and translation levels, indicating that the expression of Nelin is related to the pathogenesis and development of varicose veins of lower extremity.

Key words: Varicose veins; Nelin; Gene expression; Phenotypic modulation