Altered plasma levels of cytokines in patients with ischemic heart disease.
BACKGROUND
Cytokines play an important role in mediating inflammatory-proliferative responses, including atherosclerosis. Alterations in the plasma levels of cytokines in patients with ischemic heart disease (IHD) remain to be examined.


OBJECTIVE
To examine the possible alterations in the plasma levels of cytokines in patients with IHD and in controls.


METHODS
Thirty-one patients with IHD and 16 controls were studied. The cytokines measured in our study included interleukin-6, macrophage-colony-stimulating factor (MCSF), transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta), and seven other major cytokines. The measurements were performed by using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method.


RESULTS
The MCSF levels were significantly higher in patients with IHD than they were in controls (P < 0.01), whereas the TGF-beta levels were significantly lower in patients with IHD than they were in controls (P < 0.01). Moreover, the levels of MCSF and those of TGF-beta were correlated negatively (P < 0.05). The interleukin-6 levels tended to be higher in patients with unstable angina. The plasma levels of other cytokines were below the detection levels in most cases.


CONCLUSIONS
Results from studies in vitro suggested that the process of atherosclerosis is accelerated and inhibited by MCSF and TGF-beta, respectively. The present results thus suggest that the alterations in the plasma levels of MCSF and TGF-beta may be involved in the pathogenesis of IHD in humans.
Tashiro
H
H
Department of Cardiology, St Mary Hospital, Kurume, Japan.
Shimokawa
H
H
Yamamoto
K
K
Momohara
M
M
Tada
H
H
Takeshita
A
A
D000368:Aged; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D016207:Cytokines / Q000097:blood*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000097:blood; D016173:Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017202:Myocardial Ischemia / Q000097:blood*; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012307:Risk Factors; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta / Q000097:blood
D015415:Biomarkers; D016207:Cytokines; D015850:Interleukin-6; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta; D016173:Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor