Method for determining risk of developing cardiovascular disease in a subject, method for determining vascular calcification in a subject, and test kit

Abstract

To provide a method for determining the risk of developing a cardiovascular disease in a subject more easily by using a blood sample.SOLUTION: The present invention relates to a method for determining the risk of developing a cardiovascular disease in a subject, the method including the steps of: capturing an extracellular vesicle derived from a sample cell collected from a subject on a solid phase; and measuring the alkaline phosphatase activity of the extracellular vesicle. The result of measurement of the alkaline phosphatase activity serves as an indicator of the risk of developing the cardiovascular disease in the subject.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 12A

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for determining the risk of developing cardiovascular disease in a subject, a method for determining vascular calcification in a subject, and a test kit. [Background technology]

[0002] Cardiovascular disease develops due to vascular calcification, which occurs as a result of the long-term involvement of factors such as aging, lifestyle habits, dyslipidemia, hypertension, and diabetes. Vascular calcification is ectopic calcification that occurs in vascular tissues where calcium crystal deposition would not normally occur (Non-Patent Document 1). Conventionally, the coronary artery calcification score (hereinafter referred to as "CAC score" or "CAC-S") using CT images has been used to evaluate vascular calcification in clinical settings. It has been reported that the CAC score shows a positive correlation with the incidence rate of cardiovascular events. [Prior art documents] [Non-patent literature]

[0003] [Non-Patent Document 1] Journal of the Japanese Society of Nephrology 2014;56(8):1196-1200 "In vivo calcification mechanism" Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Although the CAC score is used in clinical settings, it requires the acquisition of CT images and is therefore not a simple evaluation method.

[0005] The present invention aims to provide a method for more simply determining the risk of developing cardiovascular disease in a subject by using a blood sample, and a method for determining vascular calcification in a subject, as well as a test kit for use in these determination methods. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present invention relates to a method for determining the risk of developing cardiovascular disease in a subject, comprising the steps of capturing extracellular vesicles derived from a blood sample collected from a subject on a solid phase and measuring the alkaline phosphatase activity of the extracellular vesicles, wherein the measurement result of the alkaline phosphatase activity is an indicator of the risk of developing cardiovascular disease in the subject.

[0007] The present invention relates to a method for assessing vascular calcification in a subject, comprising the steps of capturing extracellular vesicles derived from a blood sample collected from a subject on a solid phase and measuring the alkaline phosphatase activity of the extracellular vesicles, wherein the measurement result of the alkaline phosphatase activity is an indicator of vascular calcification in the subject.

[0008] The present invention relates to a test kit for use in a method for determining the risk of developing cardiovascular disease in a subject or a method for determining vascular calcification in a subject, the test kit comprising a capture antibody that captures extracellular vesicles on a solid phase and a solid phase for capturing the capture antibody. Effect of the Invention

[0009] By using a blood sample, the risk of developing cardiovascular disease in a subject and / or vascular calcification in a subject can be determined more easily. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a calcified site in a blood vessel. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the appearance of a test kit. [Figure 3A] Detailed information on the donors of the purchased normal plasma samples is shown below. [Figure 3B] Detailed donor information for purchased samples from patients with a history of cardiovascular disease (CVD) is shown below. [Figure 3C] Detailed donor information for the purchased chronic kidney disease (CKD) patient samples is shown below. [Figure 3D] Detailed donor information for the purchased CAC-scored specimens is shown below. [Figure 4A] The commercially available reagents used in the ELISA are shown below. [Figure 4B] The homemade reagents used in the ELISA are shown. [Figure 5A] These are phase contrast microscopic images taken two weeks after induction. The left image shows cells that were not induced for transformation, and the right image shows cells that were induced for transformation. [Figure 5B] These are Alizarin Red stained images taken two weeks after induction. The left image shows cells that were not transformed, and the right image shows cells that were transformed. [Figure 5C] The results of measuring calcium levels are shown. [Figure 5D] The results of nanoparticle tracking analysis of the culture supernatant of cells that underwent transformation induction are shown. [Figure 5E] The alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity of the sediment after ultracentrifugation of the culture supernatant of cells that were not subjected to transformation induction and the sediment after ultracentrifugation of the culture supernatant of cells that were subjected to transformation induction are shown. [Figure 6A] The figure shows the dilution linearity between alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity and the number of extracellular vesicle particles when anti-CD9 antibody was used as a capture antibody. The number of added particles was measured by nanoparticle tracking analysis. [Figure 6B] The figure shows the dilution linearity between alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity and the number of extracellular vesicle particles when anti-CD63 antibody was used as a capture antibody. The number of added particles was measured by nanoparticle tracking analysis. [Figure 6C] The figure shows the dilution linearity between alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity and the number of extracellular vesicle particles when anti-Pit1 antibody was used as a capture antibody. The number of added particles was measured by nanoparticle tracking analysis. [Figure 6D] This shows the dilution linearity between alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity and extracellular vesicle particle number when anti-Annexin VI antibody was used as the capture antibody. [Figure 7A] 1 shows a comparison of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity measured using an anti-CD9 antibody-ALP system between plasma from healthy subjects (n=4) and plasma from CVD patients given CAC-S (n=5). [Figure 7B] 1 shows a comparison of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity in plasma from healthy subjects (n=4) and CVD patients (n=16), measured using an anti-CD9 antibody-ALP system. [Figure 7C] The alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity was compared between plasma from healthy subjects (n=4) and CKD patients (n=5) as measured by the anti-CD9 antibody-ALP system. *p<0.05 and **p<0.01 indicate significant differences. [Figure 8] The alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity was measured using an anti-CD63 antibody-ALP system in plasma from healthy subjects (n=4) and plasma from CVD patients (n=6) treated with CAC-S. *p<0.05 indicates a significant difference. [Figure 9] The alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity in plasma from healthy subjects (n=4) and CKD patients (n=5) was compared using an anti-Annexin VI antibody-ALP system. *p<0.05 indicates a significant difference. [Figure 10] The alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity was compared between plasma from healthy subjects (n=4) and plasma from CVD patients (n=6) treated with CAC-S, as measured using an anti-Pit1 antibody-ALP system. *p<0.05 indicates a significant difference. [Figure 11] A comparison of the analytical performance of four analysis systems is shown. [Figure 12A] 1 shows the correlation between alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity measured by the anti-CD9 antibody-ALP system and CAC score. [Figure 12B] 1 shows the correlation between alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity measured by the anti-CD63 antibody-ALP system and CAC score. [Figure 12C] 1 shows the correlation between alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity measured using an anti-Pit1 antibody-ALP system and CAC score. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] 1. Method for determining risk of developing cardiovascular disease in a subject First, vascular calcification will be explained using Figure 1. Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a calcified site in a blood vessel. Atherosclerosis occurs when plaques are formed in the vascular endothelium where LDL-cholesterol is deposited. LDL-cholesterol enters between the vascular endothelial cells (intima) and the vascular smooth muscle cells (media), and macrophages that take it up become foam cells under the vascular endothelium and accumulate, forming atheroma. Within the atheroma, migration of vascular smooth muscle cells localized in the vascular media to the intima is induced, and further transformation into osteoblast-like cells is induced. As a result, calcified extracellular vesicles (calcified EVs) containing hydroxyapatite are produced, causing calcification at the site of atheroma formation. It is generally believed that calcified extracellular vesicles are stable and are not released into the blood vessel away from the site of atheroma formation. Calcified extracellular vesicles contain proteins that are generally known to be present in extracellular vesicles (e.g., CD9, CD63, CD81, etc.), proteins specific to calcified extracellular vesicles (Annexin VI, Pit1, etc.), etc. Furthermore, calcified extracellular vesicles contain membrane-type alkaline phosphatase (ALP).

[0012] In an embodiment of the present invention, a blood sample collected from a subject is used to measure alkaline phosphatase activity in the blood sample, thereby determining the risk of developing cardiovascular disease in the subject. Specifically, this method includes a step of capturing extracellular vesicles derived from a blood sample collected from the subject on a solid phase (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as "step 1") and a step of measuring the alkaline phosphatase activity of the extracellular vesicles (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as "step 2"). The measurement result of the alkaline phosphatase activity is an index of the risk of developing cardiovascular disease in the subject. Note that all measurements performed in this determination method are performed in vitro.

[0013] (1) Process 1 In step 1, extracellular vesicles derived from a blood sample taken from a subject are captured on a solid phase.

[0014] The subject is not particularly limited. For example, the subject is a patient who is at risk of developing arteriosclerosis. Specifically, the subject can be exemplified as a person with obesity, a person with hypertension, a person with hyperlipidemia, a person with diabetes, a person with renal dysfunction, etc.

[0015] The cardiovascular disease may include at least one selected from the group consisting of ischemic heart disease, ischemic brain disease, and ischemic intestinal disorder. The ischemic heart disease may include angina pectoris, myocardial infarction, etc. The ischemic brain disease may include cerebral infarction, etc. The ischemic intestinal disorder may include intestinal infarction, etc.

[0016] The blood sample may be, for example, whole blood, plasma or serum. When plasma is used as the blood sample, the anticoagulant used during blood collection is not limited. Potassium EDTA, sodium EDTA, sodium citrate, heparin salt, etc. may be used.

[0017] Extracellular vesicles (hereinafter, also referred to as "EVs") are membrane-covered particles mainly composed of phospholipids that are released from cells and have a size of about tens to thousands of nm. Extracellular vesicles include exosomes, microvesicles, apoptotic bodies, etc. In many cases, biomolecules are present inside or on the membrane of extracellular vesicles. For example, exosomes or microvesicles contain polypeptides, polynucleotides (RNA such as mRNA, miRNA, non-coding RNA, and DNA), etc. For example, apoptotic bodies contain polypeptides, polynucleotides, fragmented nuclei, organelles, etc. Here, a polypeptide refers to a compound in which multiple amino acids are bound by peptide bonds, and includes proteins with relatively large molecular weights and peptides with relatively small molecular weights.

[0018] In step 1, the method of capturing extracellular vesicles on a solid phase is not particularly limited, and known means can be used. For example, a blood sample, a capturer that binds to extracellular vesicles, and a solid phase can be contacted to form a complex containing extracellular vesicles and a capturer on the solid phase (hereinafter also referred to as a "capturer-EV complex"). Preferably, the solid phase and the capturer each contain a binding substance and a binding partner. Examples of the binding substance include avidin, avidin-like substances (streptavidin, tamavidin (trademark), neutravidin, etc.), and antibodies against the binding partner. The binding partner is a substance that specifically binds to the binding substance, and examples of the binding partner include biotin, biotin analogs, and 2,4-dinitrophenol. Preferably, the capturer binds to the solid phase via the binding substance and the binding partner. The capturer is not particularly limited as long as it is a substance that can specifically bind to extracellular vesicles, and for example, an antibody, an aptamer, etc. can be used.

[0019] In step 1, a blood sample containing extracellular vesicles can be contacted with the solid phase on which the capturer is immobilized to form a capturer-EV complex on the solid phase. The order of contacting the capturer, blood sample, and solid phase is not particularly limited. For example, the solid phase is contacted with the blood sample first, and then the capturer is added. In another embodiment, the solid phase is contacted with the capturer first, and then the blood sample is added. In this case, preferably, after the capturer is immobilized on the solid phase, unreacted free components are removed by B / F separation, and then the blood sample is added. In another embodiment, the capturer is contacted with the blood sample containing extracellular vesicles first to form a capturer-EV complex in a solution, and then the solid phase is added. In either embodiment, it is preferable to perform B / F separation after forming the capturer-EV complex on the solid phase and before performing step 2. The reaction in step 1 is usually performed in a buffer solution. The type of buffer contained in the buffer solution is not particularly limited as long as it is not a substance that inhibits the reaction, and any substance known in the art can be used. In addition, a washing solution containing a buffer, a surfactant, etc. can be used in the B / F separation. The buffer and surfactant are not particularly limited as long as they are capable of performing B / F separation appropriately, and any substances known in the art can be used. Conditions such as reaction time and reaction temperature can be appropriately adjusted depending on the type of capture body.

[0020] Before capturing extracellular vesicles on a solid phase, the extracellular vesicles may be extracted by size exclusion chromatography, ultracentrifugation, affinity purification, polymer precipitation, or the like, but this embodiment can be measured without performing these extraction procedures.

[0021] The antibody used as a capture body (hereinafter referred to as "capture antibody") is not limited as long as it can capture extracellular vesicles. Preferably, the capture antibody can bind to at least a part of the protein present in the extracellular vesicles. In addition, only one type of capture antibody may be used, or multiple types may be used. The "antibody" may be any of polyclonal antibodies, monoclonal antibodies, reduced antibodies, bispecific antibodies, and fragments thereof (e.g., Fab, F(ab'), F(ab)2, etc.). The class and subclass of immunoglobulin are not particularly limited. In addition, the antibody may be one screened from an antibody library, or may be a chimeric antibody, scFv, etc.

[0022] Examples of the capture antibody include anti-CD9 antibody (Clone: ​​H19a, 12A12, etc.), anti-CD63 antibody (Clone: ​​H5C6, etc.), CD81 (Clone: ​​5A6, etc.), anti-Annexin VI antibody (Clone: ​​E-5, etc.), and anti-Pit1 antibody / SLC20A1 (Clone: ​​6A9-F2, etc.), and at least one of these may be used. Commercially available products may be used for these antibodies.

[0023] As the solid phase, a solid phase known in the art can be used. The material of the solid phase is not particularly limited, and can be selected from, for example, organic polymer compounds, inorganic compounds, biopolymers, and the like. Examples of organic polymer compounds include latex, polystyrene, polypropylene, and the like. Examples of inorganic compounds include magnetic materials (iron oxide, chromium oxide, ferrite, and the like), silica, alumina, glass, and the like. Examples of biopolymers include insoluble agarose, insoluble dextran, gelatin, cellulose, and the like. Two or more of these may be used in combination. The shape of the solid phase is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include particles, microplates, membranes, microtubes, and test tubes.

[0024] (2) Process 2 In step 2, the alkaline phosphatase activity of the extracellular vesicles is measured. Specifically, the extracellular vesicles captured on the solid phase in (1) above are contacted with a substrate for alkaline phosphatase, and the product generated by the enzyme reaction is measured. The measured value of this product is a value that reflects the alkaline phosphatase activity. There are no limitations on the measurement conditions as long as they are conditions under which alkaline phosphatase exhibits activity.

[0025] Substrates for alkaline phosphatase include chemiluminescent substrates such as CDP-Star (registered trademark) (4-chloro-3-(methoxyspiro[1,2-dioxetane-3,2'-(5'-chloro)tricyclo[3.3.1.13,7]decane]-4-yl)phenyl phosphate disodium), CSPD (registered trademark) (3-(4-methoxyspiro[1,2-dioxetane-3,2-(5'-chloro)tricyclo[3.3.1.13,7]decane]-4-yl)phenyl phosphate disodium), and color-developing substrates such as 5-bromo-4-chloro-3-indolyl phosphate (BCIP), 5-bromo-6-chloro-indolyl phosphate disodium, and p-nitrophenyl phosphate. Particularly preferred is the chemiluminescent substrate CDP-Star (registered trademark). It is preferable to detect the chemiluminescent signal of the luminescence generated by the enzyme reaction using a luminometer.

[0026] (3) Determining the risk of developing cardiovascular disease As shown in the examples below, subjects with high CAC scores had significantly higher alkaline phosphatase activity than subjects with relatively low CAC scores, and CAC scores were correlated with alkaline phosphatase activity. It is known that CAC scores are useful for predicting the risk of cardiovascular disease. Therefore, the measurement results of alkaline phosphatase activity can be used as an index of the risk of cardiovascular disease in subjects. Here, the CAC score is a numerical value that quantifies the severity of calcification by coronary CT, and is used as an index of the severity of calcification. A CAC score of 0 is evaluated as no calcification (no plaque), 1 to 10 as very light (small amount of plaque), 11 to 100 as light (some plaque), 101 to 400 as moderate (moderate amount of plaque), and 401 or more as large amount of plaque.

[0027] In this specification, the "measurement result of alkaline phosphatase activity" may be a value reflecting the activity of alkaline phosphatase. The value is, for example, a measured value of chemiluminescence intensity. The measured value of chemiluminescence intensity is a value reflecting the amount of a product produced by an enzyme reaction, and the value reflects the activity of alkaline phosphatase.

[0028] In a preferred embodiment, when the measurement result of alkaline phosphatase activity is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, it is suggested that the subject has a high risk of developing cardiovascular disease. In another preferred embodiment, when the measurement result of alkaline phosphatase activity is less than a predetermined threshold, it is suggested that the subject has a low risk of developing cardiovascular disease. In a more preferred embodiment, when the measurement result of alkaline phosphatase activity is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, it is suggested that the subject has a high risk of developing cardiovascular disease, and when the measurement result of alkaline phosphatase activity is less than the predetermined threshold, it is suggested that the subject has a low risk of developing cardiovascular disease.

[0029] The "predetermined threshold" refers to a threshold of the measurement result of alkaline phosphatase activity. The threshold can be set based on the measurement result of alkaline phosphatase activity of subjects with low CAC scores or healthy subjects and the measurement result of alkaline phosphatase activity of subjects with high CAC scores.

[0030] For example, the measurement results of alkaline phosphatase activity are obtained using blood samples taken from multiple healthy subjects, and the measurement results of alkaline phosphatase activity are obtained using blood samples taken from multiple subjects with a CAC score of 401 points or more. Based on these measurement results, the value that can most accurately classify healthy subjects and subjects with a CAC score of 401 points or more can be set as the "threshold value." Here, the "value that can most accurately classify" can be appropriately set in consideration of indices such as sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value depending on the purpose of the test. For example, it can be set based on ROC analysis.

[0031] The highest measurement result among the alkaline phosphatase activity measurements of multiple healthy subjects may be used as the threshold value. In cases where expensive treatment is required or where the side effects of a therapeutic drug are severe, and where it is necessary to reduce the economic and physical burden on the patient due to the treatment, this threshold value can be preferably used to reduce false positives as much as possible.

[0032] The lowest measurement result of alkaline phosphatase activity among the measurement results of multiple subjects with a CAC score of 401 or more may be used as the threshold. When it is desired to reduce false negatives as much as possible, such as in a screening test, this threshold can be suitably used.

[0033] The "measurement result of alkaline phosphatase activity" may be a change in the measurement result over time in the same subject. The change over time is an index of the risk of developing cardiovascular disease. For example, the measurement result at a first time point of a specific subject may be compared with the measurement result at a second time point, and the risk of developing cardiovascular disease may be evaluated based on the change in the measurement result. Note that the first time point and the second time point are different time points. When evaluating the measurement result at the second time point, the measurement result at the first time point may be used as a "threshold value."

[0034] Another embodiment of the present invention is a method for determining the risk of developing cardiovascular disease, comprising the above-mentioned step 1, the above-mentioned step 2, and a determination step. The determination step is a step of determining the risk of developing cardiovascular disease in the subject based on the measurement result of alkaline phosphatase activity obtained in step 2. In the determination step, the measurement result of alkaline phosphatase activity may be compared with a threshold value, and the risk of developing cardiovascular disease may be determined based on the comparison result. In the comparison, if the measurement result of alkaline phosphatase activity is equal to or higher than the threshold value, the risk of developing cardiovascular disease may be determined to be high, and if the measurement result of alkaline phosphatase activity is lower than the threshold value, the risk of developing cardiovascular disease may be determined to be low.

[0035] Furthermore, the method may include a step of performing a medical intervention for cardiovascular disease on a subject determined to be at high risk of developing cardiovascular disease. An embodiment including this step relates to a method of treating a subject determined to be at high risk of developing cardiovascular disease by the above-mentioned determination method (hereinafter also referred to as a "treatment method"). Examples of medical intervention include antihypertensive therapy, administration of a drug for cardiovascular disease or vascular calcification, etc. Examples of drugs include phosphate binders, high cholesterol treatment drugs, thrombolytic agents, antithrombotic drugs, antiplatelet drugs, vasodilators, etc.

[0036] 2. Method for assessing vascular calcification in subjects The method for assessing vascular calcification in a subject includes a step of capturing extracellular vesicles derived from a blood sample collected from the subject on a solid phase (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as "step A") and a step of measuring the alkaline phosphatase activity of the extracellular vesicles (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as "step B"). The measurement result of the alkaline phosphatase activity is an index of vascular calcification in the subject. All measurements performed in this assessment method are performed in vitro. Steps A and B are the same as steps 1 and 2 described above, respectively.

[0037] As shown in the examples below, subjects with high CAC scores had significantly higher alkaline phosphatase activity than subjects with relatively low CAC scores, and CAC scores were correlated with alkaline phosphatase activity. In addition, alkaline phosphatase activity was significantly higher in CVD and CKD patients than in healthy subjects. It is known that the CAC score is an index of vascular calcification, and vascular calcification is observed in CVD and CKD patients. In other words, the measurement results of alkaline phosphatase activity can be used as an index of vascular calcification in subjects.

[0038] Preferably, when the measurement result of alkaline phosphatase activity is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, the presence or progression of vascular calcification in the subject is suggested, whereas when the measurement result of alkaline phosphatase activity is less than the predetermined threshold, the absence or amelioration of vascular calcification by treatment or the like is suggested.

[0039] The "predetermined threshold" refers to a threshold of the measurement result of alkaline phosphatase activity. The threshold can be set based on the measurement result of alkaline phosphatase activity of subjects with low CAC scores or healthy subjects and the measurement result of alkaline phosphatase activity of subjects with high CAC scores, CVD patients, or CKD patients.

[0040] For example, the measurement results of alkaline phosphatase activity are obtained using blood samples taken from multiple healthy subjects, and the measurement results of alkaline phosphatase activity are obtained using blood samples taken from multiple subjects with a CAC score of 401 points or more. Based on these measurement results, a value that can most accurately classify healthy subjects and subjects with a CAC score of 401 points or more can be set as a "threshold value." Here, the "value that can most accurately classify" can be appropriately set based on indices such as sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value depending on the purpose of the test. For example, it can be set based on ROC analysis, etc.

[0041] The highest measurement result among the alkaline phosphatase activity measurements of multiple healthy subjects may be used as the threshold value. In cases where expensive treatment is required or where the side effects of a therapeutic drug are severe, and where it is necessary to reduce the economic and physical burden on the patient due to the treatment, this threshold value can be preferably used to reduce false positives as much as possible.

[0042] The lowest measurement result of alkaline phosphatase activity among the measurement results of multiple subjects with a CAC score of 401 or more may be used as the threshold. When it is desired to reduce false negatives as much as possible, such as in a screening test, this threshold can be suitably used.

[0043] The "measurement result of alkaline phosphatase activity" may be a change in the measurement result over time in the same subject. The change over time is an index of the risk of developing cardiovascular disease. For example, the measurement result at a first time point of a specific subject may be compared with the measurement result at a second time point, and the risk of developing cardiovascular disease may be evaluated based on the change in the measurement result. Note that the first time point and the second time point are different time points. When evaluating the measurement result at the second time point, the measurement result at the first time point may be used as a "threshold value."

[0044] Another embodiment of the present invention is a method for determining vascular calcification, comprising the above-mentioned step A, the above-mentioned step B, and a determination step. The determination step is a step of determining vascular calcification in the subject based on the measurement result of alkaline phosphatase activity obtained in step B. In the determination step, the measurement result of alkaline phosphatase activity may be compared with a threshold value, and vascular calcification may be determined based on the comparison result. In the comparison, when the measurement result of alkaline phosphatase activity is equal to or greater than the threshold value, it may be determined that vascular calcification is present, and when the measurement result of alkaline phosphatase activity is less than the threshold value, it may be determined that vascular calcification is not present.

[0045] Furthermore, the method may include a step of performing a medical intervention for cardiovascular disease on a subject determined to have vascular calcification. An embodiment including this step relates to a method of treating a subject determined to have vascular calcification by the above-mentioned determination method (hereinafter also referred to as a "treatment method"). Examples of medical intervention include antihypertensive therapy and administration of a drug for cardiovascular disease or vascular calcification. Examples of drugs include administration of a phosphate binder, a drug for treating high cholesterol, a thrombolytic agent, an antithrombotic drug, an antiplatelet drug, a vasodilator, etc.

[0046] 3. Test kits An embodiment of the present invention relates to a test kit used in the method described in 1 or 2 above. An example of the test kit is shown in FIG. 2. The test kit 50 includes a first container 51 containing a capture body, a second container 52 containing a plurality of particles as a solid phase, a third container 53 containing a substrate for alkaline phosphatase, and an attached document 54 describing how to use the kit. These are contained in a packaging box 55. The description of the capture body, the solid phase, and the substrate for alkaline phosphatase is incorporated herein by reference. In the example of FIG. 2, the solid phase is a particle, but instead of the second container 52, a solid phase of another shape such as a microplate, a membrane, a microtube, or a test tube may be included as the solid phase. EXAMPLES

[0047] The present invention will be described in more detail below with reference to examples, but the present invention should not be construed as being limited to these examples.

[0048] 1. Materials and Methods 1-1. Cell culture and calcification induction, Alizarin Red staining, and preparation of calcified extracellular vesicles Human osteosarcoma cell line Saos-2 cells were purchased from the RIKEN BioResource Research Center (RIKEN BRC). The cells were cultured in McCoy's 5A medium (Sigma-Aldrich) supplemented with 15% FBS at 5% CO2 and 37°C according to the culture method of RIKEN BRC.

[0049] Saos-2 cells for calcification induction were cultured in αMEM (GIBCO) supplemented with 10% FBS until confluent, then the medium was replaced with calcification induction medium (αMEM containing 10% FBS, 10 mM HEPES (Nacalai Tesque), 50 ug / mL ascorbate 2-phosphate (Sigma-Aldrich), and 1.8 mM potassium dihydrogen phosphate (Fujifilm Wako Pure Chemical Industries)) and cultured for 14 days. After replacement with the calcification induction medium, the medium was replaced once every 2-3 days until the 10th day, and the cells were cultured in the same medium from the 10th day to the 14th day, and the culture medium was collected. After collection, Saos-2 cells were fixed with 4% PFA for 10 minutes at 4℃, washed three times with PBS, and stained with Alizarin Red for 10 minutes at room temperature using 50 mM Alizarin Red (pH 4.2).

[0050] The culture medium was centrifuged at 300g for 10 minutes and then at 2,000g for 10 minutes, and the supernatant was transferred to an ultracentrifuge tube and ultracentrifuged at 100,000g (50,000 rpm) for 28 minutes. The precipitate in the ultracentrifuge tube was collected and resuspended in 5 mM phosphate buffer or 5 mM phosphate buffer containing 1% BSA to prepare mineralized extracellular vesicles.

[0051] 1-2. Purchased samples and preparation of calcified extracellular vesicles-removed normal human pooled plasma samples Normal human pooled plasma and normal human single donor plasma samples (anticoagulant: all EDTA-2K) were purchased from Kohjin Bio (Product# 12271430) and Cosmo Bio (Product# 12271420), respectively. The donor information is shown in Figure 3A. Although no CAC score was given to these healthy plasma samples, the CAC score of healthy plasma was considered to be 0 in this example, since healthy individuals usually have a CAC score of 0 or an extremely low score. Samples from patients with a history of cardiovascular disease (CVD) (total 16 samples, anticoagulant: EDTA-2K, exclusion criteria were chronic renal failure and dialysis patients) were purchased from Promedex. The donor information is shown in Figure 3B. Chronic kidney disease (CKD) samples (5 samples in total) and CAC-scored samples (6 samples in total, exclusion criteria were chronic renal failure and dialysis patients) were purchased from Reprocell and BioIVT, respectively (anticoagulant: all EDTA-2K). The donor information is shown in Figure 3C and Figure 3D. As shown in Figure 3D, all CAC-scored samples had a CAC score of over 400 points, and the calcification severity was evaluated as "severe."

[0052] Calcified extracellular vesicles-free normal human pooled plasma samples were prepared as follows. Purchased normal human pooled plasma samples were centrifuged at 300g for 10 minutes and 2,000g for 10 minutes, and the supernatant was transferred to an ultracentrifuge tube. This was then ultracentrifuged at 100,000g (50,000 rpm) for 28 minutes to precipitate extracellular vesicles. The supernatant was collected as the sample.

[0053] 1-3.Alkaline phosphatase activity measurement The reagents used in the ELISA are shown in Figures 4A and 4B. In addition, the specimens used were the sample containing calcified extracellular vesicles induced in vitro in 1-1 above, and the specimen prepared in 1-2 above.

[0054] A 96-well plate (Nunc, high binding ELISA plate, #436110) was washed twice with 50 mM Tris-HCl (pH 7.5). Each antibody shown in Figure 4A was adjusted to a concentration of 5 μg / mL with 50 mM Tris-HCl (pH 7.5) to prepare an antibody solution for each antibody. 50 μL / well of each antibody solution was added to each well of the 96-well plate. The solution in the well was discarded, and the plate was washed three times with 5 mM phosphate buffer. Blocking Buffer I was added at 200 μL / well, and the plate was incubated at room temperature for 2 hours and 30 minutes while stirring on a shaker at 600 rpm. The incubation time was increased to 1 hour only when the solid-phase antibody was an anti-CD63 antibody. For samples, undiluted plasma samples were used when the solid-phase antibody was anti-CD63 or anti-Pit1 antibody, 50% plasma diluted with an equal volume of cEV sample dilution buffer for anti-CD9 antibody, and 50% plasma / 1.3 mM CaCl2 diluted with an equal volume of cEV sample dilution buffer containing 2.6 mM CaCl2 for anti-Annexin VI antibody. After discarding Blocking Buffer I, 100 μL / well of each sample was added and incubated at room temperature for 2 hours and 30 minutes on a shaker at 600 rpm. The incubation time was 1 hour only for anti-CD63 antibody. After discarding the solution in the wells, each well was washed six times with 300 μL / well of HISCL washing solution for anti-CD63, anti-CD9, or anti-Pit1 antibody, and 300 μL / well of HISCL washing solution containing 1.3 mM CaCl2 for anti-Annexin VI antibody.

[0055] After washing, 100 μL / well of HISCL R5 reagent was added and incubated at room temperature for 20 minutes, after which chemiluminescence was detected using a plate reader (TECAN, Infinite Pro200) to measure ALP activity.

[0056] 2.Results 2-1. Evaluation of induced calcified extracellular vesicles Calcification was evaluated in osteoblast-like cells in which transformation was induced from osteosarcoma cell line Saos-2 cells by the method described in 1-1 above. The results are shown in Figures 5A to 5E. Figure 5A is a phase contrast microscope image two weeks after induction, and Figure 5B is an Alizarin Red stained image. The left images of Figures 5A and 5B are cells that were not transformed, and the right images of Figures 5A and 5B are cells that were transformed. Calcification was confirmed in cells that were transformed. Figure 5C shows the results of measuring the calcium content by the o-Cresolphtalein Complexone method for cells that were not transformed and cells that were transformed, which were collected from one 15 cm plate. The calcium content was 127 times higher in the plate containing cells that were transformed than in the plate containing cells that were not transformed. Figure 5D shows the particle number and particle size distribution of the culture supernatant of cells that were transformed, analyzed by nanoparticle tracking analysis. Measurements were performed in triplicate on one supernatant, with five consecutive measurements per run. The mean particle size was 246.7 + / - 3.7 nm, and the mean particle concentration was 1.92 x 10 10 The ALP activity was measured by adding HISCL R5 reagent to the sediment samples (1 μg / well) collected by ultracentrifugation. Three samples were collected from each sediment sample, three from the culture supernatant samples (1 μg / well) collected by ultracentrifugation. The ALP activity was measured by adding HISCL R5 reagent to the sediment samples (1 μg / well) collected by ultracentrifugation. Three samples were collected from each sediment sample and the measurements were performed twice. The sediment after ultracentrifugation of the culture supernatant of cells that had not been transformed showed almost no ALP activity, whereas the sediment after ultracentrifugation of the culture supernatant of cells that had been transformed showed high ALP activity.

[0057] Next, a dilution series of calcified extracellular vesicles was used to examine the dilution linearity between the number of extracellular vesicles and ALP activity. The number of particles was measured by nanoparticle tracking analysis. Anti-CD9, anti-CD63, anti-Pit1, and anti-Annexin VI antibodies were used as capture antibodies (solid-phase antibodies), and the ALP activity and particle number were compared to examine the dilution linearity. As a result, as shown in Figure 6, good linearity was obtained regardless of which capture antibody was used.

[0058] 2-2. Verification of effects using blood samples The analytical performance was examined using plasma from healthy subjects, subjects with a CAC score (CAC-S), subjects with CKD, and subjects with a history of CVD.

[0059] (1) Anti-CD9 antibody-ALP system The results when anti-CD9 antibody was used as the capture antibody are shown in Figures 7A to 7C. Figure 7A shows a comparison of ALP activity between plasma of healthy subjects (n=4) and plasma of patients given CAC-S (n=6). Figure 7B shows a comparison of ALP activity between plasma of healthy subjects (n=4) and plasma of CVD patients (n=16). Figure 7C shows a comparison of ALP activity between plasma of healthy subjects (n=4) and plasma of CKD patients (n=5). *p<0.05 and **p<0.01 indicate significant differences. The ALP activity of extracellular vesicles from healthy plasma was significantly lower than that of extracellular vesicles from patients.

[0060] (2) Anti-CD63 antibody-ALP system The results when anti-CD63 antibody was used as the capture antibody are shown in Figure 8. The ALP activity of plasma from healthy subjects (n = 4) was compared with that of plasma from patients given CAC-S (n = 5). *p < 0.05 indicates a significant difference. The ALP activity of extracellular vesicles from healthy plasma was significantly lower than that of extracellular vesicles from patients.

[0061] (3) Anti-Annexin VI antibody-ALP system The results when anti-Annexin VI antibody was used as the capture antibody are shown in Figure 9. ALP activity was compared between plasma from healthy subjects (n=4) and plasma from CKD patients (n=5). *p<0.05 indicates a significant difference. The ALP activity of extracellular vesicles from plasma from healthy subjects was significantly lower than the ALP activity of extracellular vesicles from patients.

[0062] (4) Anti-Pit1 antibody-ALP system The results when anti-Pit1 antibody was used as the capture antibody are shown in Figure 10. The ALP activity of plasma from healthy subjects (n = 4) was compared with that of plasma from patients given CAC-S (n = 6). *p < 0.05 indicates a significant difference. The ALP activity of extracellular vesicles from healthy plasma was significantly lower than that of extracellular vesicles from patients.

[0063] (5) Comparison between measurement systems Figure 11 shows a comparison of the analytical performance between the measuring instruments shown in (1) to (4) above. In the measurement system using anti-CD9 antibody and anti-Annexin VI antibody, all healthy plasma samples were measured at or above the minimum detection sensitivity. In the measurement system using anti-CD63 antibody and anti-CD9 antibody, the three patient plasma groups examined showed a tendency to have higher ALP activity compared to the healthy plasma group. When captured with anti-Annexin VI antibody, an antibody specific to calcified extracellular vesicles, the CAC-S patient plasma group and the CKD plasma group showed a tendency to have higher ALP activity compared to the healthy plasma group. Considering the minimum detection sensitivity (LOD), dynamic range, simultaneous repeatability, and inter-measurer reproducibility, the detection performance of the measurement system using anti-CD9 antibody was the highest.

[0064] 2-3.Correlation between CAC score and ALP activity The correlation between ALP activity measured by the anti-CD9 antibody-ALP system and the anti-Pit1 antibody-ALP system and the CAC score was obtained. The results are shown in Figures 12A to 12C. Figure 12A shows the correlation between ALP activity measured by the anti-CD9 antibody-ALP system and the CAC score, with a correlation coefficient of 0.84. Figure 12B shows the correlation between ALP activity measured by the anti-CD63 antibody-ALP system and the CAC score, with a correlation coefficient of 0.87. Figure 12C shows the correlation between ALP activity measured by the anti-Pit1 antibody-ALP system and the CAC score, with a correlation coefficient of 0.85. Both showed high correlation.

[0065] 3. Assessment of cardiovascular disease risk and vascular calcification As mentioned above, the CAC score is used as an index of the severity of vascular calcification and is known to be useful for predicting the risk of cardiovascular disease. The ALP activity measured in this example correlated well with the CAC score and was significantly higher in CKD patients and CVD patients with vascular calcification. This result suggests that the ALP activity of blood calcified extracellular vesicles can be used as an index of the severity of vascular calcification and can also be used as an index for determining the risk of developing cardiovascular disease. [Explanation of symbols]

[0066] 50 Test Kits

Claims

1. Capturing extracellular vesicles derived from a blood sample collected from a subject on a solid phase; and measuring the alkaline phosphatase activity of the extracellular vesicles; the measurement result of the alkaline phosphatase activity is an indicator of the risk of developing cardiovascular disease in the subject, The subject is not a patient with chronic renal failure or a patient on dialysis. A method for determining the risk of developing cardiovascular disease in a subject.

2. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the blood sample is whole blood, plasma or serum.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the capturing step comprises contacting a blood sample of the subject with the solid phase and a capture antibody capable of capturing the extracellular vesicles, thereby forming a complex between the extracellular vesicles and the capture antibody on the solid phase.

4. The method according to claim 3 , wherein the capture antibody is at least one selected from the group consisting of an anti-CD9 antibody, an anti-CD81 antibody, an anti-CD63 antibody, an anti-Annexin VI antibody, and an anti-Pit1 antibody.

5. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the measuring step comprises contacting a luminescent substrate with the alkaline phosphatase of the extracellular vesicles immobilized on the solid phase and detecting the chemiluminescent signal generated thereby.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein a measurement result of the alkaline phosphatase activity that is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold suggests that the subject is at high risk of developing cardiovascular disease.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein a measurement result of the alkaline phosphatase activity that is less than a predetermined threshold suggests that the subject has a low risk of developing cardiovascular disease.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the cardiovascular disease is at least one selected from the group consisting of ischemic heart disease, ischemic brain disease, and ischemic intestinal disease.

9. Capturing extracellular vesicles derived from a blood sample collected from a subject on a solid phase; and measuring the alkaline phosphatase activity of the extracellular vesicles; the measurement result of the alkaline phosphatase activity is an index of vascular calcification in the subject; The subject is not a patient with chronic renal failure or a patient on dialysis. A method for assessing vascular calcification in said subject.

10. The method according to claim 9 , wherein the presence of vascular calcification in the subject is suggested when the measurement result of the alkaline phosphatase activity is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold.

11. The method according to claim 9 or 10, wherein the measurement result of the alkaline phosphatase activity being below a predetermined threshold suggests the absence of vascular calcification in the subject.

12. A test kit for use in the method of any one of claims 1 to 11, comprising a capture antibody that captures extracellular vesicles on a solid phase and a solid phase for capturing the capture antibody.

13. 13. The test kit of claim 12, further comprising a substrate for alkaline phosphatase.

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