title: Circulating immunoglobulins are not associated with intraplaque mast cell number and other vulnerable plaque characteristics in patients with carotid artery stenosis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Recently, we have shown that intraplaque mast cell numbers are associated with atherosclerotic plaque vulnerability and with future cardiovascular events, which renders inhibition of mast cell activation of interest for future therapeutic interventions. However, the endogenous triggers that activate mast cells during the progression and destabilization of atherosclerotic lesions remain unidentified. Mast cells can be activated by immunoglobulins and in the present study, we aimed to establish whether specific immunoglobulins in plasma of patients scheduled for carotid endarterectomy were related to (activated) intraplaque mast cell numbers and plasma tryptase levels. In addition, the levels were related to other vulnerable plaque characteristics and baseline clinical data.
  
  
  RESULTS
  OxLDL-IgG, total IgG and total IgE levels were measured in 135 patients who underwent carotid endarterectomy. No associations were observed between the tested plasma immunoglobulin levels and total mast cell numbers in atherosclerotic plaques. Furthermore, no associations were found between IgG levels and the following plaque characteristics: lipid core size, degree of calcification, number of macrophages or smooth muscle cells, amount of collagen and number of microvessels. Interestingly, statin use was negatively associated with plasma IgE and oxLDL-IgG levels.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In patients suffering from carotid artery disease, total IgE, total IgG and oxLDL-IgG levels do not associate with plaque mast cell numbers or other vulnerable plaque histopathological characteristics. This study thus does not provide evidence that the immunoglobulins tested in our cohort play a role in intraplaque mast cell activation or grade of atherosclerosis.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Experimental Cardiology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Sanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Willems
authors.affiliation: Division of Biopharmaceutics, Leiden Academic Centre for Drug Research, Gorlaeus Laboratories, Leiden, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Daniël
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: van der Velden
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands ; Einthoven Laboratory of Experimental Vascular Medicine, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Paul H A
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Quax
authors.affiliation: Department of Vascular Surgery, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Gert Jan
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: de Borst
authors.affiliation: Department of Vascular Surgery, Sint Antonius Hospital, Nieuwegein, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Jean-Paul P M
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: de Vries
authors.affiliation: Department of Vascular Surgery, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Frans L
authors.initials: FL
authors.lastname: Moll
authors.affiliation: Division of Biopharmaceutics, Leiden Academic Centre for Drug Research, Gorlaeus Laboratories, Leiden, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Johan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kuiper
authors.affiliation: Department of Rheumatology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: René E M
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Toes
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Experimental Cardiology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Saskia C A
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: de Jager
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Experimental Cardiology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands ; Interuniversity Cardiology Institute of the Netherlands (ICIN), Utrecht, The Netherlands ; Cardiovascular Research Institute and Surgery, National University Hospital Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.
authors.forename: Dominique P V
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: de Kleijn
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Experimental Cardiology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Imo E
authors.initials: IE
authors.lastname: Hoefer
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Experimental Cardiology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Gerard
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pasterkamp
authors.affiliation: Division of Biopharmaceutics, Leiden Academic Centre for Drug Research, Gorlaeus Laboratories, Leiden, The Netherlands ; Department of Surgery, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Ilze
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Bot
mesh_terms: D016893:Carotid Stenosis / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology*; D016894:Endarterectomy, Carotid; D006801:Humans; D007073:Immunoglobulin E / Q000097:blood*; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000097:blood*; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008077:Lipoproteins, LDL / Q000097:blood; D008407:Mast Cells / Q000276:immunology*; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric
chemical_list: D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D008077:Lipoproteins, LDL; C099252:oxidized low density lipoprotein; D007073:Immunoglobulin E