Expressions of vascular endothelial cadherin and soluble Fas ligand in patients with viral myocarditis and their correlations

Background: We aimed to explore the expressions of vascular endothelial cadherin (VE-cadherin) and soluble Fas ligand (sFasL) in patients suffering from viral myocarditis (VMC), and the correlations between them. Methods: Fifty VMC patients diagnosed between January 2022 and December 2023 were selected as the subjects (experimental group), and an equal number of participants receiving health examination were included as a control group. The experimental group was then subdivided into mild, moderate, and severe subgroups according to their clinical symptoms. Peripheral blood samples were collected to detect the serum levels of VE-cadherin and sFasL through enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and the differences in their levels were compared. The clinical baseline data and cardiac function indicators (left ventricular systolic function as well as early and late left ventricular diastolic function) were acquired. Results: The ejection fraction of the inferior ventricular septum showed no significant difference between the two groups (p>0.05), but there were significant differences in the remaining indicators (p<0.05). The levels of VE-cadherin and sFasL in the experimental group were significantly higher than those in the control group (p<0.05). The severe VMC group had significantly elevated VE-cadherin and sFasL levels compared with those of moderate and mild groups, and the moderate group had significantly raised levels compared to those of the mild group (p<0.05). VE-cadherin level was positively correlated with sFasL level. Conclusions: The elevation of serum VE-cadherin and sFasL levels may be associated with myocardial inflammatory response and cardiac function damage. VE-cadherin and sFasL are potential biomarkers of VMC for early diagnosis and treatment evaluation.