Mac-1 Alongside Platelet-Monocyte Aggregates as Potential Markers in Acute Coronary Syndrome: A Case-Control Study

Area of Science:

• Immunology
• Cardiology
• Biochemistry

Background:

• Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are a leading global cause of death, with atherosclerosis being a primary driver.
• Platelet-leukocyte interactions, particularly platelet-monocyte aggregates (PMA), are implicated in atherosclerosis development and progression.
• Specific integrins like macrophage-1 antigen (Mac-1) and lymphocyte function-associated antigen-1 (Lfa-1) are crucial for leukocyte recruitment in inflammatory processes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate platelet-monocyte aggregate (PMA) levels in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS).
• To assess the expression of macrophage-1 antigen (Mac-1) and lymphocyte function-associated antigen-1 (Lfa-1) in ACS patients.
• To determine the diagnostic accuracy of PMA, Mac-1, and Lfa-1 as biomarkers for ACS.

Main Methods:

• A case-control study involving 32 ACS patients and 30 healthy controls.
• Flow cytometry was used to measure PMA expression and the median fluorescence intensity (MFI) of Mac-1 and Lfa-1.
• Pearson correlation, multilevel modeling, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis were employed to analyze relationships and diagnostic accuracy.

Main Results:

• ACS patients exhibited significantly higher PMA levels compared to controls (P<0.001).
• Elevated CD18 and CD11b expression on monocytes was observed in ACS patients, positively correlating with PMA.
• PMA and Mac-1 demonstrated high diagnostic accuracy (AUC=0.94 and AUC=0.84, respectively) in differentiating ACS patients from healthy individuals.

Conclusions:

• Patients with ACS show increased levels of both Mac-1 and PMA.
• The significant association between Mac-1 and PMA suggests a potential role for these markers in the pathophysiology of ACS.
• PMA and Mac-1 are promising biomarkers for the diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome.