PTX3, A prototypical long pentraxin, is an early indicator of acute myocardial infarction in humans.
BACKGROUND
Inflammation is an important component of ischemic heart disease. PTX3 is a long pentraxin whose expression is induced by cytokines in endothelial cells, mononuclear phagocytes, and myocardium. The possibility that PTX3 is altered in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) has not yet been tested.


RESULTS
Blood samples were collected from 37 patients admitted to the coronary care unit (CCU) with symptoms of AMI. PTX3 plasma concentrations, as measured by ELISA, higher than the mean+2 SD of age-matched controls (2.01 ng/mL) were found in 27 patients within the first 24 hours of CCU admission. PTX3 peaked at 7.5 hours after CCU admission, and mean peak concentration was 6.94+/-11.26 ng/mL. Plasma concentrations of PTX3 returned to normal in all but 3 patients at hospital discharge and were unrelated to AMI site or extent, Killip class at entry, hours from symptom onset, and thrombolysis. C-reactive protein peaked in plasma at 24 hours after CCU admission, much later than PTX3 (P<0.001). Patients >64 years old and women had significantly higher PTX3 concentrations at 24 hours (P<0.05). PTX3 was detected by immunohistochemistry in normal but not in necrotic myocytes.


CONCLUSIONS
PTX3 is present in the intact myocardium, increases in the blood of patients with AMI, and disappears from damaged myocytes. We suggest that PTX3 is an early indicator of myocyte irreversible injury in ischemic cardiomyopathy.
Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri, Milan, Italy.
G
G
Peri
M
M
Introna
D
D
Corradi
G
G
Iacuitti
S
S
Signorini
F
F
Avanzini
F
F
Pizzetti
A P
AP
Maggioni
T
T
Moccetti
M
M
Metra
L D
LD
Cas
P
P
Ghezzi
J D
JD
Sipe
G
G
Re
G
G
Olivetti
A
A
Mantovani
R
R
Latini
D000368:Aged; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000378:metabolism*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D009206:Myocardium / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D009336:Necrosis; D009994:Osmolar Concentration; D012016:Reference Values; D000683:Serum Amyloid P-Component / Q000378:metabolism*; D013997:Time Factors; D000099153:Pentraxins
D002097:C-Reactive Protein; D000683:Serum Amyloid P-Component; D000099153:Pentraxins