title: Relationship between oxidative stress and aortic valve stenosis in humans: an immunohistochemical study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Oxidative stress contributes to plaque formation and the destabilization of coronary atherosclerotic lesions. It has been reported that disease processes and clinical risk factors of aortic valve stenosis (AS) are similar to those of atherosclerosis. In this study, we immunohistochemically examined the expression of 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal (4-HNE), an oxidative stress-related molecule, by using surgically resected aortic valve specimens from AS patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study was conducted using aortic valve specimens, surgically obtained from 24 patients with severe AS undergoing aortic valve replacement. We immunohistochemically investigated frozen aortic valve samples with antibodies against smooth muscle cells, macrophages, CD31 and 4-HNE.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Morphometric analysis showed that the percentage of the macrophage-positive area and the number of CD31-positive microvessels were significantly higher in AS patients than those in reference cases (macrophages, p < 0.005 and CD31, p < 0.0001). Furthermore, the 4-HNE-positive macrophage score was also significantly higher in AS patients than in reference cases (p < 0.005).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  4-HNE was expressed in the stenotic aortic valves in patients with severe AS, suggesting a close relationship between oxidative stress and the progression of calcific AS.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Osaka City University, Graduate School of Medicine, Japan.
authors.forename: Satoko
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wada
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine and Cardiology, Osaka City University, Graduate School of Medicine, Japan.
authors.forename: Kenichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sugioka
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Osaka City General Hospital, Osaka, Japan.
authors.forename: Takahiko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Naruko
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Osaka City General Hospital, Osaka, Japan.
authors.forename: Yasuyuki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kato
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Osaka City General Hospital, Osaka, Japan.
authors.forename: Toshihiko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shibata
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Osaka City General Hospital, Osaka, Japan.
authors.forename: Takeshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Inoue
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Osaka City University, Graduate School of Medicine, Japan.
authors.forename: Mayumi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Inaba
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Osaka City University, Graduate School of Medicine, Japan.
authors.forename: Masahiko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ohsawa
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine and Cardiology, Osaka City University, Graduate School of Medicine, Japan.
authors.forename: Minoru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yoshiyama
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Osaka City University, Graduate School of Medicine, Japan.
authors.forename: Makiko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ueda
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000447:Aldehydes / Q000032:analysis; D001024:Aortic Valve Stenosis / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D018384:Oxidative Stress; D019408:Platelet Endothelial Cell Adhesion Molecule-1 / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D000447:Aldehydes; D019408:Platelet Endothelial Cell Adhesion Molecule-1; C027576:4-hydroxy-2-nonenal