Altered plasma levels of cytokines in patients with ischemic heart disease.

Abstract

Cytokines play an important role in mediating inflammatory-proliferative responses, including atherosclerosis. Alterations in the plasma levels of cytokines in patients with ischemic heart disease (IHD) remain to be examined. To examine the possible alterations in the plasma levels of cytokines in patients with IHD and in controls. Thirty-one patients with IHD and 16 controls were studied. The cytokines measured in our study included interleukin-6, macrophage-colony-stimulating factor (MCSF), transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta), and seven other major cytokines. The measurements were performed by using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method. The MCSF levels were significantly higher in patients with IHD than they were in controls (P < 0.01), whereas the TGF-beta levels were significantly lower in patients with IHD than they were in controls (P < 0.01). Moreover, the levels of MCSF and those of TGF-beta were correlated negatively (P < 0.05). The interleukin-6 levels tended to be higher in patients with unstable angina. The plasma levels of other cytokines were below the detection levels in most cases. Results from studies in vitro suggested that the process of atherosclerosis is accelerated and inhibited by MCSF and TGF-beta, respectively. The present results thus suggest that the alterations in the plasma levels of MCSF and TGF-beta may be involved in the pathogenesis of IHD in humans.