Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2010 Summer;15(2):e25-8.

Homocysteine and markers of inflammation in acute coronary syndrome

Mabrouka El Oudi  1 , Zied Aouni, Chakib Mazigh, Radhia Khochkar, Ezzeddine Gazoueni, Habib Haouela, Salem Machghoul
Affiliations

Homocysteine and markers of inflammation in acute coronary syndrome

Mabrouka El Oudi et al. Exp Clin Cardiol. 2010 Summer.

Abstract

Background: An elevated level of homocysteine (Hcy) has been shown to be a cardiovascular risk factor in the majority of research studies. Recently, it was found to be associated with new risk factors such as inflammatory markers.

Objectives: To investigate the distribution of plasma total Hcy (tHcy) and the levels of inflammatory markers in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS), and to evaluate the association between these parameters and the severity of the disease.

Methods: A total of 122 patients with ACS and 80 control subjects were recruited from the cardiac intensive care unit of the Military Hospital of Tunis, Tunisia. Lipid profile and the levels of tHcy, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (HsCRP), interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8, IL-1beta and tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNFalpha) were determined for all participants. The distribution of these parameters were compared between groups and according to the number of diseased vessels in patients with ACS.

Results: ACS patients had significantly elevated levels of tHcy (P<0.01), HsCRP (P<0.001), IL-6 (P<0.001), TNFalpha (P<0.001), folates (P<0.05) and vitamin B(12) (P<0.001), but lower high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (P<0.05) levels. The analysis of the association between these parameters and the number of diseased vessels showed significant differences in tHcy, HsCRP, IL-6 and TNFalpha, with positive correlations. Significantly negative correlations were found between the number of diseased vessels and folate (r=-0.34; P<0.01), and vitamin B(12) (r=-0.22; P<0.01).

Conclusion: Elevated levels of tHcy, IL-6, TNFalpha and HsCRP appear to be associated with a greater number of diseased arteries and, consequently, the severity of coronary artery disease.

Keywords: Acute coronary syndrome; Homocysteine; HsCRP; IL-1β; IL-6; IL-8; TNFα.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1)
Figure 1)
Distribution of plasma homocysteine (tHcy), high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (HsCRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha mean levels according to the number affected vesssels
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Pasterkamp G, Algra A, Grobbee DE, Banga JD, van der Graaf Y. Homocysteine and the stage of atherosclerotic disease: A study in patients suffering from clinically silent and clinically manifest atherosclerotic disease. Eur J Clin Invest. 2002;32:309–15. - PubMed
    1. Poddar R, Sivasubramanian N, Dibello PM, Robinson K, Jacobson D. Homocysteine induces expression and secretion of monocyte chemo attractant protein-1 and interleukin-8 in human aortic endothelial cells: Implication for vascular disease. Circulation. 2001;103:2717–23. - PubMed
    1. Wang G, Siow YL. Homocysteine induces monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 expression by activating NF-kappa B in THP-1 macrophages. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol. 2001;280:H2840–H7. - PubMed
    1. Zhong-qun Y, Goran KH. Innate immunity, macrophage activation and atherosclerosis. Immunol Rev. 2007;219:187–203. - PubMed
    1. Saadeddin SM, Habbab MA, Ferns GA. Markers of inflammation and coronary artery disease. Med Sci Monit. 2002;8:5–12. - PubMed