Nuclear Factor kappa B content in internal mammary arteries and saphenous veins in human hypertensive and normotrensive patients

Abstract

Many cellular genes involved in immunity and inflammation are regulated at the level of transcription by nuclear factor kappa B (NFkB). Products of these genes include TNF‐alpha and interleukin‐6 (IL‐6). Increased plasma levels of these inflammatory cytokines (IL‐6, TNF‐alpha, etc.) are seen in hypertension (HTN), suggesting that vascular inflammation is part of the pathophysiology of HTN. To our knowledge no one has previously measured NFkB in blood vessels of hypertensive patients. Study objective: Measure NFkB tissue levels in internal mammary artery (IMA) and saphenous vein (SV) tissue in hypertensive and normotensive patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery.MethodsA TransAM NFkB p50 colorimetric ELISA kit was used to measure NFkB content in the vessels in 79 patients undergoing CABG surgery. The patients were interviewed and their hospital charts were abstracted to determine whether the patients had HTN and/or type 2 diabetes.ResultsWe found that there was no significant difference in NFkB p50 activity levels in human IMA or SV between hypertensive and normotensive patients undergoing CABG surgery. We also found that the presence of type 2 diabetes did not affect these levels.ConclusionThese data suggest that vascular inflammation in HTN does not require increased vascular production of NFkB. Grant Support: NIH HL73251.