Special features of changes in indicators of the immune system in patients with atherosclerosis

Abstract

In patients with various forms of coronary heart disease (effort angina pectoris of tension II functional class (EAP II FC), myocardial infarction (MI)) an imbalance of immunological reactivity was revealed compared to practically healthy individuals, which was manifested by the increasing of the IL-6 concentration, IL-8, IgA, BAPNA-amidase activity, B-lymphocytes count, circulating immune complexes (CIC) and the decreasing of T-lymphocytes count, IgM and IgG concentration. It was also found that in patients with MI and EAP II FC, atherosclerosis was not limited to only one vascular region, lesions of the extracranial sections of the cerebral arteries, abdominal part of the aorta, arteries of the lower extremities were also recorded. The lesion of extracranial cerebral arteries in patients with EAP II FC was accompanied by the increase of neutrophil elastase activity, the number of СIC and the decrease of IgM concentration, IL-4, B-lymphocytes count, and in patients with MI it was accompanied by the increase of T-lymphocytes count and the decrease of B-lymphocytes count. When the abdominal aorta was affected, patients with EAP II FC had increased T-lymphocytes count, neutrophils and decreased IgM concentration, and patients with MI had increased T-lymphocytes count. The lesion of the lower extremities arteries in patients with EAP II FC was accompanied by the increase of T-lymphocytes count, sVCAM-1 adhesion molecules, the decrease of IgM concentration, BAPNA-amidase activity, and in patients with MI it was accompanied by the increasing of monocytes count, concentration of sVCAM-1 molecules and the decreasing of IL-6 concentration. At the same time, the development of multifocal atherosclerotic lesion (MFA) of peripheral arteries was accompanied only by the decrease of IgM concentration in patients with EAP II FC. The lesion of the anterior interventricular artery in patients with EAP II FC was combined with the increase of sVCAM-1 molecules concentration, and in patients with MI it was combined with the increase of IgG concentration and the decrease of IL-10 concentration. The lesion of the circumflex artery in patients with EAP II FC was combined with the increase of CIC concentration, TNF-α, and in patients with MI it was combined with increased IL-6 concentration. The lesion of the right coronary artery was not accompanied by any significant change in the immune system indicators in the studied groups of patients.

Keywords

• immune system
• atherosclerosis
• coronary heart disease
• cytokines
• proteolytic activity