Abstract
The need to study cardiovascular diseases (CVD) has become more and more relevant as their prevalence has increased over the years. An intact endothelial wall is essential to vascular health. Certain factors are responsible for maintaining this tissue intact, including nitric oxide (NO), which provokes dilation of blood vessels in response to shear stress. Expression of the endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) enzyme, which produces nitric oxide in response to increases in blood flow, is of fundamental importance to maintenance of the vascular system. When this enzyme is inhibited, nitric oxide production is reduced, causing endothelial dysfunction. Since C-reactive protein inhibits production of nitric oxide by the eNOS enzyme, it is one of the causes of endothelial dysfunction and cardiovascular events. The objective of the present study was to review scientific articles in the literature related to the subject 'inflammatory markers and endothelial function'. A wide-ranging review of the current literature was conducted, using systematic analysis of bibliographic references indexed in PubMed, Scielo, Medline and LILACS database, for the years 1992 to 2013. The studies reviewed show that increases in inflammation causes reductions in NO and increases in cardiovascular events. Increased inflammation is associated with higher incidence of cardiovascular diseases.
Highlights
There are currently more than 83.6 millionAmericans with cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and it is estimated that they incur costs of 300 billion dollars of public money per year.[1]
Increases in serum IL-6 and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels can cause down regulation of NO production, by inhibiting endothelial nitric oxide synthase, facilitating thrombi formation and, increasing the risk of cardiovascular events.[11,12]
In preparation for this article, the authors conducted a wide-ranging review of the current literature, using systematic analysis of bibliographic references indexed in PubMed, Scielo, Medline and LILACS database, for the years 1992 to 2013, found using the following keywords: inflammation, interleukin-6, C-reactive protein, nitric oxide and endothelial function
Summary
There are currently more than 83.6 millionAmericans with cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and it is estimated that they incur costs of 300 billion dollars of public money per year.[1]. Certain risk factors such as dyslipidemia and arterial hypertension cause vascular damage and progressive loss of endothelial protective functions, thereby increasing oxidative stress and inflammation.
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