Cardiovascular Division, Department of Internal Medicine, Hyogo College of Medicine, Nishinomiya, Japan.
Am Heart J. 2010 Oct;160(4):685-91. doi: 10.1016/j.ahj.2010.06.031.
Inflammation is involved in the pathogenesis of nonrheumatic aortic valve stenosis (AS). Pentraxin3 (PTX3) is produced at the inflammatory site; however, tissue and circulating PTX3 levels in patients with AS remain largely unknown.
We enrolled 84 patients who received aortic replacement surgery due to AS (n = 53) or aortic regurgitation (AR; n = 31). PTX3 expression in aortic valves was evaluated in patients with AS and AR by immunohistochemistry and Western blot analysis. We further investigated circulating PTX3 and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein levels in patients with AS, AR, and age-matched controls.
Immunohistochemical and Western blot analyses revealed that PTX3 was expressed in aortic valves. PTX3 expression was increased in AS valves compared with control and AR valves. Strong PTX3 immunoreactivity was found particularly in macrophages of AS valves. Plasma PTX3 levels were increased in patients with AS than in those with AR and controls, while serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein levels did not differ among three groups. Moreover, plasma PTX3 levels were positively correlated with the amounts of PTX3 expression in aortic valves.
We demonstrated for the first time that tissue and plasma PTX3 levels were increased in patients with AS. These findings suggest that PTX3 may participate in the pathophysiology of AS.
炎症参与了非风湿性主动脉瓣狭窄（AS）的发病机制。Pentraxin3（PTX3）在炎症部位产生；然而，AS 患者的组织和循环 PTX3 水平在很大程度上尚不清楚。
我们招募了 84 名因 AS（n=53）或主动脉瓣反流（AR；n=31）接受主动脉置换手术的患者。通过免疫组织化学和 Western blot 分析评估 AS 和 AR 患者主动脉瓣中的 PTX3 表达。我们进一步研究了 AS、AR 和年龄匹配对照患者的循环 PTX3 和高敏 C 反应蛋白水平。
免疫组织化学和 Western blot 分析显示 PTX3 在主动脉瓣中有表达。与对照组和 AR 组相比，AS 组的 PTX3 表达增加。AS 组的 PTX3 免疫反应性特别强，主要存在于巨噬细胞中。与 AR 组和对照组相比，AS 患者的血浆 PTX3 水平升高，而三组血清高敏 C 反应蛋白水平无差异。此外，血浆 PTX3 水平与主动脉瓣 PTX3 表达量呈正相关。
我们首次证明了 AS 患者的组织和血浆 PTX3 水平增加。这些发现表明 PTX3 可能参与 AS 的病理生理学过程。
