The severity of internal carotid artery stenosis is associated with the circulating Th17 level

A Yu Filatova; A V Potekhina; E A Pylaeva; A K Osokina; N Yu Ruleva; O A Pogorelova; M I Tripoten; E A Noeva; T V Balakhonova; V P Masenko; T I Arefieva

doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e03856

The severity of internal carotid artery stenosis is associated with the circulating Th17 level

Heliyon. 2020 May 5;6(5):e03856. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e03856. eCollection 2020 May.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Laboratory of Cell Immunology of Institute of Experimental Cardiology of FSBO, National Medical Research Center of Cardiology of Russian Ministry of Health, Russia.
² Department of Pulmonary Hypertension and Heart Diseases of Institute of Clinical Cardiology of FSBO, National Medical Research Center of Cardiology of Russian Ministry of Health, Russia.
³ Department of Ultrasound Research Methods of Institute of Clinical Cardiology of FSBO, National Medical Research Center of Cardiology of Russian Ministry of Health, Russia.
⁴ Department of Neurohumoral Regulation of Cardiovascular Diseases of Institute of Clinical Cardiology of FSBO, National Medical Research Center of Cardiology of Russian Ministry of Health, Russia.

Abstract

Aim: Immune and inflammatory reactions contribute to the progression of atherosclerosis. The walls of the different arteries and segments of the arteries have heterogeneous haemodynamic and histological features. We aimed to explore the relationship between the circulating T-cell subsets and the abundance of carotid atherosclerosis in different segments of carotid arteries.

Methods: 70 patients underwent ultrasound duplex scanning to determine the degree of stenosis of the common carotid artery (CCA), the CCA bifurcation or the internal carotid artery (ICA). The blood frequencies of T-, B-, NK-cells, regulatory T cells (Treg), activated T-helpers (Th), IL10-producing Th, Th1 and Th17, as well as blood levels of hsCRP, sCD25, IL10 and IL17a were assessed.

Results: The frequencies of Th17 were increased in patients with ICA stenosis >35% and >50% vs. patients with ICA stenosis <35%. Th17 blood level ≥0.55 % of lymphocytes was associated with more severe stenosis of ICA (OR 4.3 (1.0-17.6), p < 0.05 for ICA stenosis of 35-50% and 6.8 (1.3-35.0), p < 0.05 for ICA stenosis >50%). BMI positively correlated with the CCA bifurcation stenosis degree (r = 0.33, p < 0.05).

Conclusion: The severity of ICA stenosis can be associated with the circulating Th17 level.

Keywords: Atherosclerosis; Cardiology; Carotid arteries; Cell biology; Diagnostics; Immunology; Inflammation; T-helpers 17; Ultrasound.