[Serum level of beta-chemokine RANTES in patients with coronary artery disease].

Chronic inflammatory process plays an important, as still not clear, role in pathophysiology of coronary artery disease (CAD), especially in acute coronary syndromes. Chemokines are present in atherosclerotic plaques and are essential factors in the recruitment of leukocytes and stabilization of atherosclerotic lesions. The aim of the study was the evaluation of RANTES serum level in patients with stabile CAD and seeking for correlations between RANTES serum level and progression of atherosclerotic lesions. The study included 83 patients from 22 to 87 years old, 41 women (mean age 61,2 +/- 12,5) and 42 men (mean age 58,8 +/- 15,4), who were admitted to the Cardiology Department for coronarography. After coronarography the patients were separated in 4 groups according to the presence of atherosclerotic lesions. Patients with atherosclerotic lesions were also divided depending on the severity of anginal pains to CCS II or CCS III classes. Blood samples for the measurement of RANTES serum level were taken at baseline conditions on the day after the admittance to the hospital. RANTES serum level was measured by enzyme-linked immunoabsorbent assay (ELISA) kit system (Endogen, MA, USA). There was not statistically significant differance in RANTES serum level between patients with CAD and subjects without atherosclerotic lesions in coronary arteries with or without arterial hypertension. Significantly higher levels of RANTES were observed in patients with atherosclerotic lesions in coronary arteries and anginal pains in CCS II class, than in patients with atherosclerotic lesions in coronary arteries and anginal pains in CCS II class, as well as in subjects without atherosclerotic lesions (respectively 58.5 vs 42.1 pg/ml and 54.5 vs 41.9 pg/ml, p<0.01). Significant positive corellations were found in patients with CAD between RANTES serum level and systolic blood pressure (r Pearson 0,291, p<0.05), and cholesterol (R Spearman 0.289, p<0.05). In all patients analysis of regression found significant correlation between RANTES serum level and systolic blood pressure (p 0.296, B 0.391, p<0.007). These results may indicate the active implication of chemokines in the pathophysiology of atherosclerotic lesions.