Relationship between serum brain- derived neurotrophic factor level and SYNTAX score in non-ST elevation myocardial infarction patients

Coronary artery disease is one of the most important cardiovascular diseases affecting the entire world and is a leading cause of mortality. Acute coronary syndrome is a sudden clinical condition that occurs when thrombosis, resulting from the rupture of an atherosclerotic plaque in the coronary artery, causes complete or partial occlusion of the coronary artery, leading to impaired myocardial perfusion. The scoring system that predicts mortality and morbidity in acute coronary syndrome is called the SYNTAX scoring system. BDNF plays a significant role in the survival and proliferation of neurons in the autonomic nervous system and the central nervous system (CNS). BDNF is also synthesized in many non-neuronal tissues, such as smooth muscle cells, lymphocytes, macrophages, epithelial cells, the heart, and atherosclerotic vessels. In this study, we aimed to investigate the relationship between BDNF, which is associated with endothelial dysfunction, inflammation, and oxidative stress in patients diagnosed with NSTEMI, and coronary artery disease severity using the SYNTAX score. The study included 107 patients diagnosed with NSTEMI who underwent angiography at the Cardiology Clinic of Süleyman Demirel University Research and Practice Hospital between July 2024 and April 2025. They were examined in two groups: low and moderate-high SYNTAX scores. Serum BDNF levels were compared in these groups. There were 50 patients in the low syntax group and 57 patients in the medium-high syntax group. BDNF levels were significantly lower in the medium-high syntax group. The BDNF value was 5.44 ± 3.9 in the low syntax group and 3.20 ± 1.3 in the medium-high syntax group (p<0,001). The BDNF marker value was found to be successful in predicting high syntax scores. The area under the curve (AUC) was calculated as 0.771 (p<0.001). The cut-off value was determined as 3.61. Accordingly, the diagnostic rates were determined as 71.93% for sensitivity and 78% for specificity. As a result of our study, it was found to be associated with BDNF syntax score and has the potential to help determine mortality and morbidity in coronary artery disease. Keywords: Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS), Syntax Score, Serum Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF)