C-reactive protein-induced production of interleukin-18 in human endothelial cells: a mechanism of orchestrating cytokine cascade in acute coronary syndrome.

The circulating interleukin (IL)-18 level is a strong predictor of death from cardiovascular causes in patients with coronary artery disease. However, the mechanisms of IL-18 in orchestrating the cytokine cascade and the accelerator of IL-18 production in atherosclerosis are still unknown. In the present study, we measured the serum concentration of IL-18 and other markers of inflammation in 35 patients with acute coronary syndrome.