[Morphometric study of inflammatory cells and smooth muscle cells in coronary plaques and their relation with plaque stability].
OBJECTIVE
To compare the content of inflammatory cells and smooth muscle cells in stable and unstable coronary plaques in order to clarify the role of these cells in the vulnerability of plaques.


METHODS
Hearts from 12 postmortem acute myocardial infarction cases were studied. The epicardial coronary arteries were dissected en bloc, fixed, decalcified, cut at 4 mm intervals and routinely processed for HE sections. 163 stable plaques (with no or only little lipid core) and 163 unstable plaques (with lipid core size > 40% of plaque area) were studied immunohistochemically using monoclonal antibodies specific for macrophages (CD68), T lymphocytes (UCHL-1) and smooth muscle cells (actin). Computor aided planimetry was used to measure the positive area of different cells.


RESULTS
The content of macrophage and T lymphocytes in unstable plaques were significantly higher than that in stable plaques (P < 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
Stable plaques and unstable plaques not only had different lipid core size but also had different inflammatory cell and smooth muscle cell content. The larger the lipid core and the more macrophages and T lymphocytes in the fibrous cap, the more unstable the plaque. The lipid core and inflammatory cells (including macrophages and T lymphocytes) are the two major determinants of the vulnerability of coronary plaques.
Shi
H
H
Department of Pathology, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing 100853.
Wei
L
L
She
M
M
Li
X
X
Guo
A
A
You
L
L
D000199:Actins / Q000032:analysis; D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000032:analysis; D015214:Antigens, Differentiation, Myelomonocytic / Q000032:analysis; D003331:Coronary Vessels / Q000737:chemistry / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D017493:Leukocyte Common Antigens / Q000032:analysis; D008264:Macrophages / Q000737:chemistry / Q000473:pathology*; D009131:Muscle, Smooth, Vascular / Q000737:chemistry / Q000473:pathology*; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000737:chemistry / Q000473:pathology*; D000097382:CD68 Molecule
D000199:Actins; D015703:Antigens, CD; D015214:Antigens, Differentiation, Myelomonocytic; D017493:Leukocyte Common Antigens; C067980:CD68 antigen, human; D000097382:CD68 Molecule