Background: Platelets are key components in atherogenesis and determine the course of its clinical sequelae acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Components of the innate immune system-the superfamily of TLR receptors-are present in platelets and represent a link between atherothrombosis and inflammation. We hypothesize that alteration in platelet TLR mRNA expression is a result of inflammation driving coronary atherosclerosis and may represent an alternative platelet activation pathway in ACS. TLR2-, TLR4- and TLR9- mRNA-expression was determined in ACS patients and compared to patients with invasive exclusion of atherosclerotic lesions of coronary arteries.
Methods: A total of fifty-four patients were enrolled in this clinical retrospective cohort single centre study. Total RNA from sepharose-filtered highly purified platelets was isolated using acid guanidinium thiocyanate-phenol-chloroform extraction and transcribed to cDNA using a first strand cDNA synthesis kit. To determine absolute copy numbers of TLR2, TLR4 and TLR9 we used plasmid based quantitative PCR with normalisation to an internal control.
Results: We found that mRNA expression levels of TLR2 but not TLR 4 and 9 are up-regulated in platelets of patients with ACS when compared to patients without coronary atherosclerosis.
Conclusion: Our results suggest elevated TLR2 mRNA expression in platelets as a biomarker reflecting the underlying inflammation in ACS and possibly severity of coronary atherosclerosis. Platelet TLR2 may represent a link between inflammation and atherothrombosis in ACS.