C-reactive protein incites atherosclerosis.
Accumulating evidence suggests that C-reactive protein (CRP) levels are a robust and independent predictor of future cardiovascular events. By the same token, increasing data point toward a proatherogenic role of CRP. The present review outlines some of the emerging data that suggest that CRP may directly promote the development of endothelial dysfunction, by affecting endothelium-derived contracting and relaxing factors such as nitric oxide, endothelin, angiotensin and interleukin-6. More recently, CRP has been demonstrated to inhibit the survival and differentiation of bone marrow-derived endothelial progenitor cells, which play a key role in postnatal neovascularization.
Verma
Subodh
S
Division of Cardiac Surgery, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario. verma@sympatico.ca
D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000378:metabolism*; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000378:metabolism / Q000401:mortality* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D018450:Disease Progression; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000401:mortality / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D016019:Survival Analysis
D015415:Biomarkers; D002097:C-Reactive Protein