Department of Cardiology, Second Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, Liaoning, China.
Arch Med Sci. 2014 Aug 29;10(4):791-800. doi: 10.5114/aoms.2014.44871.
Pattern recognition receptor (PRR)-mediated signaling pathways have recently been elucidated to bridge the innate immune system and atherosclerosis. NLRP3 is among the family members of NOD-like receptors (NLRs), a type of PRRs. At present, most studies about the NLRP3 inflammasome focus on animal models and immune cells. Limited information is available regarding the role of NLRP3 in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD).
In this study, we observed the expression of NLRP3 and downstream cytokines in patients with CAD by ELISA, real-time qPCR and Western blot.
We found that NLRP3 and downstream cytokines were coupled with increasing severity of CAD and a dynamic variation exists in patients with acute myocardial infarction. We also found that NLRP3 was correlated with Gensini score, indicating that NLRP3 might be relevant not only for the severity of CAD but also for the severity of coronary atherosclerosis.
This study provides a new theoretical basis for innate immune participation in atherosclerosis development and highlights the potential of the NLRP3 inflammasome as a target for prevention and treatment of CAD.
模式识别受体（PRR）介导的信号通路最近被阐明，可连接先天免疫系统和动脉粥样硬化。NLRP3 是 NOD 样受体（NLRs）家族成员之一，属于 PRR 的一种。目前，关于 NLRP3 炎性体的大多数研究都集中在动物模型和免疫细胞上。关于 NLRP3 在冠心病（CAD）患者中的作用，相关信息有限。
本研究通过 ELISA、实时 qPCR 和 Western blot 观察了 CAD 患者 NLRP3 及其下游细胞因子的表达。
我们发现 NLRP3 及其下游细胞因子与 CAD 的严重程度呈正相关，且在急性心肌梗死患者中存在动态变化。我们还发现 NLRP3 与 Gensini 评分相关，表明 NLRP3 不仅与 CAD 的严重程度相关，而且与冠状动脉粥样硬化的严重程度相关。
本研究为先天免疫参与动脉粥样硬化发展提供了新的理论依据，并强调了 NLRP3 炎性体作为预防和治疗 CAD 的靶点的潜力。
