Tissue factor expression and activity are not increased in peripheral monocytes isolated from uncomplicated hypertensive patients.
BACKGROUND
Systemic hypertension is one of the main risk factors for atherothrombosis. Tissue factor (TF) is found in the adventitia of blood vessels and in the lipid core of atherosclerotic plaques, and is specifically expressed on monocyte or macrophage cell membrane surfaces. TF plays a pivotal role in blood clotting physiology and is involved in pro-inflammatory action and atherosclerotic plaque destabilization.


OBJECTIVE
In this study we investigated whether there is any relationship between TF messenger RNA expression and activity in blood monocytes isolated from hypertensive patients with clinical signs of atherosclerosis, uncomplicated hypertensive individuals and normotensive control subjects.


METHODS
Eighty subjects (41 men and 39 women, mean age 41 +/- 12 years) with untreated essential hypertension and 41 control subjects matched for sex and age were enrolled in the study. Patients were classified according to whether they had a normal (</= 1 mm, 41 patients) or abnormal (> 1 mm, 39 patients) intima-media thickness (IMT).


RESULTS
TF mRNA expression and activity in hypertensive individuals with no carotid atherosclerosis were no different from control subjects in unstimulated and stimulated monocytes. Abnormal IMT patients showed a higher TF mRNA expression compared with normal IMT hypertensive subjects (P < 0.001).


CONCLUSIONS
We demonstrated that TF mRNA and activity levels in monocytes obtained from uncomplicated hypertensive individuals are comparable with those of normotensive subjects, whereas atherosclerotic hypertensive patients showed increased levels of these parameters.
Department of Internal Medicine, University of Messina, Messina, Italy.
Maria A
MA
Sardo
Salvatore
S
Campo
Maria
M
Castaldo
Antonio
A
Bonaiuto
Alessandra
A
Bitto
Carlo
C
Saitta
Simona
S
Cristadoro
Giuseppe
G
Trimarchi
Antonino
A
Saitta
D000328:Adult; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000150:complications; D001794:Blood Pressure; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D015870:Gene Expression / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000494:pharmacology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009000:Monocytes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D012044:Regression Analysis; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D013925:Thromboplastin / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism
D008070:Lipopolysaccharides; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D013925:Thromboplastin