title: Cytokine expression in circulating T lymphocytes from patients undergoing carotid endarterectomy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We investigated a possible relationship of cytokine expression and phenotype features of circulating T lymphocytes with the histological type of atherosclerotic plaque removed during carotid endarterectomy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Peripheral blood samples were taken from 20 patients with carotid atherosclerosis and from 8 healthy blood donors. Patients were divided into 2 groups according to the histological type of their atherosclerotic plaques (types V and VI). Expression of intracellular tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, interferon (IFN)-gamma, interleukin-4 (IL-4), and of surface antigens (CD4, CD8, CD45RA, CD45RO, T cell receptor (TCR) alpha/beta, TCR gamma/delta) in circulating T lymphocytes was determined by 3-colour cytofluorimetric analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The percentage of T lymphocytes primed for TNF-alpha, IFN-gamma and IL-4 was higher in blood samples from patients than from healthy subjects; the difference was statistically significant for TNF-alpha-producing cells (p=0.01). In patients, the percentage of TNF-alpha-producing cells was significantly higher in the CD4+ subset than in the CD8+ subset (p=10(-4)). The percentage of TNF-alpha-, IFN-gamma- and IL-4-primed cells was higher in patients with type VI plaques (complicated lesions) than in patients with type V plaques (less complicated lesions). The difference was statistically significant for TNF-alpha-primed cells (p=0.05). No statistically significant differences were found in T cell phenotype features among patients or between patients and healthy subjects.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results suggest a relationship between the percentage of circulating T lymphocytes expressing TNF-alpha and possibly IFN-gamma and IL-4 and the histological type of atherosclerotic plaque in patients with carotid artery disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Profumo
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Siracusano
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ortona
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Margutti
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Carra
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Costanzo
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Capoano
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Salvati
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Riganò
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002340:Carotid Artery Diseases / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000601:surgery*; D016207:Cytokines / Q000378:metabolism*; D016894:Endarterectomy, Carotid; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006801:Humans; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000378:metabolism; D015847:Interleukin-4 / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000378:metabolism*; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D015847:Interleukin-4; D007371:Interferon-gamma