Exploration Of The Expression Of Tissue Factor In Human Atherosclerosis And In Cultured Human Arterial Smooth Muscle Cells

Recently, the hypothesis of atherosclerosis involving inflammation has drawn more and more attention. The fact that inflammation plays a pivotal role in the formation and progression of atherosclerosis has been supported by results from a lot of studies. In the fields of studying the role of inflammation in the pathophysiology of atherosclerosis, the bioirectional relationship between inflammation and coagulation is a main focus. Tissue factor(TF) being the main modulator of coagulation, has much additional functions other than its procoagulant function and plays an important role in the interplay between inflammation and coagulation .Therapy targeting TF can modulate the two systems simultaneously ,which may be of great benefit in various situations.Interleukin-18(IL-18), an inducer of interferon- γ (IFN- γ ), was originally identified in active macrophages and Kupffer cells as a factor able to induce IFN- γ production by T-helper cells. IFN- γ itself is a central proatherogenic factor as demonstrated in lots of research. Whether there is some interplay between TF and IL-18 is still not known. In the contemporary view of atherosclerosis as an inflammatory disease, statins have been regarded as anti-inflammatory agents which modulate the formation and progression of atherosclerosis. But uncertainties about the exact effect of statins in coagulation and pertinent clinical significance remain unresolved.The presence and distribution of TF and IL-18 immunoreactivity in arteries with plaques in different stages of human atherosclerosis were studied using immunohistochemistry. The effect of IL-18 and statins on the expression of TF in human umbilical arterial smooth muscle cells by ELISA was also investigated. The results show:1. In the specimens of normal arteries, TF was not detected in the endothelial cells. But the endothelial cells overlying atherosclerotic plaques as early as in the type...