Patients with unrecognized peripheral arterial disease (PAD) assessed by ankle-brachial index (ABI) present a defined profile of proinflammatory markers compared to healthy subjects

• Published in: Cytokine (Philadelphia, Pa.) Vol. 59; no. 2; pp. 294 - 298
• Main Authors: Signorelli, Salvatore Santo, Anzaldi, Massimiliano, Fiore, Valerio, Simili, Massimo, Puccia, Giuseppe, Libra, Massimo, Malaponte, Graziella, Neri, Sergio
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 01.08.2012
• Subjects: ABI; adhesion; Ankle Brachial Index; arteries; Atherosclerosis; biomarkers; Biomarkers - blood; blood; Case-Control Studies; Demography; diagnosis; disease resistance; E-Selectin; E-Selectin - blood; enzymology; extracellular matrix; Female; Health; Humans; inflammation; Inflammation Mediators; Inflammation Mediators - blood; Inflammatory markers; interleukin-6; Interleukin-6 - blood; Male; Matrix Metalloproteinase 2; Matrix Metalloproteinase 2 - blood; Matrix Metalloproteinase 9; Matrix Metalloproteinase 9 - blood; Metalloproteinases; Middle Aged; patients; Peripheral Arterial Disease; Peripheral Arterial Disease - blood; Peripheral Arterial Disease - diagnosis; Peripheral Arterial Disease - enzymology; Peripheral Arterial Disease - physiopathology; Peripheral artery disease; physiopathology; proteinases; Peripheral artery disease; ABI; Inflammatory markers; Metalloproteinases; Atherosclerosis
• ISSN: 1043-4666; 1096-0023; 1096-0023
• DOI: 10.1016/j.cyto.2012.04.038

► In atherosclerosis inflammation is crucial. ► Biomarkers mark the relationship. ► IL-6 and E-selectin are leukocytic and endothelial markers. ► MMP-2/MMP-9 show the matrix degradation. ► Unrecognized PAD show a characteristic inflammatory pathway. Many studies have postulated that atherosclerosis should be considered as an inflammatory disease. In addition, some studies have focused on the relationship between inflammation and peripheral arterial disease (PAD). Define the plasma levels of soluble markers, including the proinflammatory cytokine interleukin-6 (IL-6), the anti-inflammatory cytokine transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1), the endothelial-specific adhesion factor (E-selectin) and two proteinases involved in extracellular matrix degradation (matrix metalloproteinases-2 and -9, MMP-2, and MMP-9) in previously unrecognized patients with peripheral artery disease (PAD) and non-PAD controls. Significantly higher levels of IL-6, E-selectin and MMP-2/MMP-9 and significantly reduced levels of TGF-β1 were found in PAD patients (ankle-brachial index, ABI⩽0.9) compared to non-PAD control subjects (1.4>ABI>0.9). The results demonstrated the subjects with unrecognized PAD (ABI⩽0.9) show a characteristic phlogistic pattern differently from healthy subjects and it strongly supports the pivotal role played by inflammatory and immunological mechanisms in the initiation and progression of the atherosclerotic process in peripheral arteries. These biomarkers could be helpful to screen the susceptibility for the diseases in peripheral arteries.