title: Polymorphonuclear leukocyte membrane fluidity and cytosolic Ca2+ concentration in subjects with vascular atherosclerotic disease subdivided according to its extent.
abstract: An abnormal activation state of polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) plays a key role in organ injury induced by vascular atherosclerotic disease (VAD) and diabetes mellitus (DM). PMN membrane fluidity and cytosolic Ca2+ content can be considered markers of PMN activation. In this research we evaluated the PMN membrane fluidity and cytosolic Ca2+ content in VAD subjects with and without type 2 DM and examined the association between these parameters and the mono- or polyvascular localization. We enrolled 155 VAD subjects, including 92 non-diabetic (group A: mean age 63.6 +/- 9.2 years) and 63 diabetic patients (group B: mean age 65.4 +/- 7.8 years). Among group A 63 patients had monovascular and 29 polyvascular disease; among group B 30 patients had monovascular and 22 polyvascular disease. In each patient we evaluated the PMN membrane fluidity labelling the cells with the fluorescent probe 1,4-(trimethylamino)-phenyl-4-phenylhexatriene (TMA-DPH) and the PMN cytosolic Ca2+ content marking the cells with the fluorescent probe Fura 2-AM. PMN membrane fluidity did not discriminate normal subjects from diabetic and non-diabetic VAD subjects, while cytosolic Ca2+ content was increased in both groups. PMN membrane fluidity did not distinguish normal subjects from mono- or polyvascular VAD patients with and without type 2 DM. PMN cytosolic Ca2+ content was increased especially in monovascular VAD patients; both mono- and polyvascular VAD subjects with DM had a PMN cytosolic Ca2+ content higher than normals. Our results show the presence of an increased PMN cytosolic Ca2+ content in diabetic and non-diabetic VAD subjects but no association was observed between this increase and the mono- or polyvascular localization.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Medicina Interna, Malattie Cardiovascolari e Nefrourologiche, Università degli Studi di Palermo, Italy.
authors.forename: Rosalia
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lo Presti
authors.forename: Maria Giuliana
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Tozzi Ciancarelli
authors.forename: Baldassare
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Canino
authors.forename: Caterina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Carollo
authors.forename: Daniela
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lucido
authors.forename: Gabriella
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Amodeo
authors.forename: Adele
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Romano
authors.forename: Gregorio
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Caimi
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000097:blood* / Q000473:pathology; D002118:Calcium / Q000032:analysis*; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000502:physiology*; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008560:Membrane Fluidity; D008875:Middle Aged; D009504:Neutrophils / Q000737:chemistry / Q000502:physiology*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
chemical_list: D002118:Calcium