title: Relationship between toll-like receptor 4 levels in aorta and severity of atherosclerosis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the relationship between levels of toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) protein in aortic tissue and the severity of atherosclerosis in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery.
  
  
  METHODS
  Samples of ascending aorta and renal artery were collected from patients undergoing CABG surgery or kidney donation, respectively. TLR4 levels were determined by immunohistochemistry. Coronary angiography was performed to determine atherosclerosis severity via Gensini score.
  
  
  RESULTS
  TLR4 was present at high levels in aortic tissues from patients (n = 46), and was absent from renal artery tissue (controls; n = 11). There was a significant positive correlation between Gensini score and TLR4 level in the patient group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  TLR4 may play an important role in atherosclerosis and could be a potential therapeutic target for treatment of coronary artery disease. Discarded aortic tissue obtained during CABG surgery provides a new approach to the study of the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, China.
authors.forename: Shanshan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Xing
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Qianfoshan Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, China.
authors.forename: Fei
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology, Qianfoshan Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, China.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular Disease, Qianfoshan Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, China.
authors.forename: Dong
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Qianfoshan Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, China xingqichong@163.com.
authors.forename: Qichong
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Xing
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001011:Aorta / Q000378:metabolism*; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000473:pathology*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000378:metabolism; D017023:Coronary Angiography; D001026:Coronary Artery Bypass; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012077:Renal Artery / Q000378:metabolism*; D051197:Toll-Like Receptor 4 / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; C495345:TLR4 protein, human; D051197:Toll-Like Receptor 4; D002097:C-Reactive Protein
keywords: Aortic tissue; atherosclerosis; coronary artery bypass graft; toll-like receptor 4