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Platelet and leukocyte activation, atherosclerosis and inflammation in European and South Asian men

O Dotsenko1, N Chaturvedi, S A McG Thom

  • 1International Centre for Circulatory Health, NHLI Division, Faculty of Medicine, St Mary's Hospital and Imperial College London, London, UK.

Journal of Thrombosis and Haemostasis : JTH
|September 22, 2007
PubMed

Insights

Platelet activation, indicated by platelet-monocyte complexes (PMC), is linked to aortic and femoral atherosclerosis, not coronary or carotid disease. Inflammation may drive this platelet activation in generalized atherosclerosis.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiovascular Medicine
  • Atherosclerosis Research
  • Inflammation and Immunology

Background:

  • Platelet activation is observed in ischemic heart disease (IHD) and other atherosclerotic conditions.
  • The role of platelet activation as a marker for IHD versus generalized atherosclerosis and inflammation is unclear.
  • Ethnic differences in platelet and leukocyte function between European and South Asian subjects at high risk for IHD are not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationship between platelet and leukocyte activation markers and the extent of atherosclerosis in different vascular beds.
  • To determine if platelet activation is associated with generalized atherosclerosis, inflammation, or specific vascular diseases.
  • To explore potential ethnic differences in platelet and leukocyte function.

Main Methods:

  • Fifty-four male subjects (age 49-79) underwent assessments for coronary artery calcification (CT), aortic atherosclerosis (aortic pulse wave velocity), and femoral/carotid atherosclerosis (ultrasound).
  • Platelet and leukocyte activation were measured using flow cytometry, assessing platelet-monocyte complexes (PMC), platelet PAC-1 binding, CD62P expression, and leukocyte L-selectin expression.
  • Multivariate analysis was used to identify independent predictors of PMC levels.

Main Results:

  • Elevated circulating PMC significantly correlated with increased aortic pulse wave velocity and higher prevalence of femoral plaques.
  • PMC levels did not differ based on coronary artery calcification severity or the presence of carotid plaques.
  • Higher PMC counts were independently associated with elevated C-reactive protein (CRP), higher aortic pulse wave velocity, hypertension, and smoking.
  • No significant ethnic differences were found in markers of platelet and leukocyte activation.

Conclusions:

  • Increased platelet-monocyte complexes are associated with the extent of aortic and femoral atherosclerosis, but not coronary or carotid atherosclerosis.
  • The strong association between elevated CRP and increased PMC suggests a significant role for inflammation in generalized atherosclerosis-related platelet activation.
  • Platelet and leukocyte activation markers do not appear to differ significantly between European and South Asian subjects in this cohort.
Abstract

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