title: Plasma IL-5 concentration and subclinical carotid atherosclerosis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Genetic variants robustly associated with coronary artery disease were reported in the vicinity of the interleukin (IL)-5 locus, and animal studies suggested a protective role for IL-5 in atherosclerosis. Therefore, we set this work to explore IL-5 as a plasma biomarker for early subclinical atherosclerosis, as determined by measures of baseline severity and change over time of carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT).
  
  
  METHODS
  We used biobank and databases of IMPROVE, a large European prospective cohort study of high-risk individuals (n = 3534) free of clinically overt cardiovascular disease at enrollment, in whom composite and segment-specific measures of cIMT were recorded at baseline and after 15 and 30 months. IL-5 was measured with an immunoassay in plasma samples taken at baseline.
  
  
  RESULTS
  IL-5 levels were lower in women than in men, lower in the South than in North of Europe, and showed positive correlations with most established risk factors. IL-5 showed significant inverse relationships with cIMT change over time in the common carotid segment in women, but no significant relationships to baseline cIMT in either men or women.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results suggest that IL-5 may be part of protective mechanisms operating in early atherosclerosis, at least in women. However, the relationships are weak and whereas IL-5 has been proposed as a potential molecular target to treat allergies, it is difficult to envisage such a scenario in coronary artery disease.
authors.affiliation: Atherosclerosis Research Unit, Department of Medicine Solna, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden. Electronic address: Angela.Silveira@ki.se.
authors.forename: Angela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Silveira
authors.affiliation: Atherosclerosis Research Unit, Department of Medicine Solna, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Olga
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: McLeod
authors.affiliation: Atherosclerosis Research Unit, Department of Medicine Solna, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Rona J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Strawbridge
authors.affiliation: Atherosclerosis Research Unit, Department of Medicine Solna, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Karl
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Gertow
authors.affiliation: Atherosclerosis Research Unit, Department of Medicine Solna, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden; Science for Life Laboratory, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Bengt
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Sennblad
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Scienze Farmacologiche e Biomolecolari, Università di Milano, Italy; Centro Cardiologico Monzino, IRCCS, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Damiano
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Baldassarre
authors.affiliation: Centro Cardiologico Monzino, IRCCS, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Fabrizio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Veglia
authors.affiliation: Atherosclerosis Research Unit, Department of Medicine Solna, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Deleskog
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Clinical Sciences, Karolinska Institutet, Danderyd University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Jonas
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Persson
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiovascular Epidemiology, Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Karin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Leander
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiovascular Epidemiology, Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Bruna
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Gigante
authors.affiliation: Institute of Public Health and Clinical Nutrition, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland.
authors.forename: Jussi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kauhanen
authors.affiliation: Foundation for Research in Health, Exercise and Nutrition, Kuopio Research Institute of Exercise Medicine, Kuopio, Finland.
authors.forename: Rainer
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rauramaa
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University Medical Center Groningen and University of Groningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Andries J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Smit
authors.affiliation: Internal Medicine, Angiology and Arteriosclerosis Diseases, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy.
authors.forename: Elmo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mannarino
authors.affiliation: Assistance Publique - Hopitaux de Paris, Service Endocrinologie-Metabolisme, Groupe Hôpitalier Pitie-Salpetriere, Unités de Prévention Cardiovasculaire, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Giral
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Sven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gustafsson
authors.affiliation: Division of Medicine, Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, University of Umeå, Sweden.
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Söderberg
authors.affiliation: Atherosclerosis Research Unit, Department of Medicine Solna, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Öhrvik
authors.affiliation: Centre for Cardiovascular Genetics, University College London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Steve E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Humphries
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Scienze Farmacologiche e Biomolecolari, Università di Milano, Italy; Centro Cardiologico Monzino, IRCCS, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Tremoli
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiovascular Epidemiology, Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Ulf
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: de Faire
authors.affiliation: Atherosclerosis Research Unit, Department of Medicine Solna, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Anders
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hamsten
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000886:Anthropometry; D018070:Biological Specimen Banks; D015415:Biomarkers; D002339:Carotid Arteries / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D002340:Carotid Artery Diseases / Q000097:blood*; D059168:Carotid Intima-Media Thickness; D018450:Disease Progression; D005060:Europe; D005260:Female; D014644:Genetic Variation; D006801:Humans; D007118:Immunoassay; D015848:Interleukin-5 / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012737:Sex Factors
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; C508599:IL5 protein, human; D015848:Interleukin-5
keywords: Atherosclerosis; Coronary artery disease; Cytokines; Interleukin-5; Intima-media thickness