title: Circulating alpha-actin in angina pectoris.
abstract: We used Western blot, a highly sensitive technique that detects amounts of protein as low as 0.1 to 1.0 ng, to investigate the possible presence in the blood stream of the contractile protein alpha-actin in 29 patients diagnosed with angina pectoris (Braunwald's classification). Circulating protein was identified with a monoclonal antibody specific for cardiac alpha-actin. Of the 20 control samples of blood, the immunoblot results were negative for alpha-actin in 19. Of the 30 patients with skeletal muscle damage caused by surgery, 27 were negative for circulating alpha-actin. Of the 29 patients with angina pectoris, circulating alpha-actin was found in 19 as a 43 kDa band in immunoblots. Of the four patients with anterior acute myocardial infarction, mean concentration of circulating alpha-actin was 58 mg/l. Among the patients with angina pectoris, the highest circulating concentrations (mean 40 mg/l) was found in those with prolonged angina (class III B, according to Braunwald's classification). In the entire group of individuals with angina pectoris alpha-actin was detectable in serum for up to 175 h after the onset of pain, and showed two peaks, one at 1 h (112 mg/l) and one at 50 h (82 mg/l) after the onset of pain. These findings reinforce the notion that unstable angina should be considered a serious condition.
authors.affiliation: Department of Morphological Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Granada, Spain.
authors.forename: A E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Aránega
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Reina
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Velez
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Alvarez
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Melguizo
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Aránega
mesh_terms: D000199:Actins / Q000097:blood*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000787:Angina Pectoris / Q000097:blood*; D015153:Blotting, Western; D003720:Densitometry; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged
chemical_list: D000199:Actins