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. 2023 Jun 6:11:e15471.
doi: 10.7717/peerj.15471. eCollection 2023.

Neutrophil extracellular trap burden correlates with the stenosis of coronary atherosclerosis

Yan Wang #  1 , Mao Yang #  1 , Yuanyuan Xu  1 , Shujun Yan  1 , Enze Jin  1 , Xueqi Li  1
Affiliations

Neutrophil extracellular trap burden correlates with the stenosis of coronary atherosclerosis

Yan Wang et al. PeerJ. .

Abstract

Background: Coronary atherosclerosis diseases (CADs) are associated with chronic inflammation. Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) are a type of novel proinflammatory cytokines whose levels are dramatically elevated in acute coronary syndrome. We conducted this study to further evaluate the association between circulating NET-associated markers and CAD in Chinese adults.

Methods: A total of 174 patients with CAD and 55 healthy controls were screened using percutaneous coronary intervention or coronary computed tomography angiography. Blood lipid levels, blood glucose levels, and blood cell counts were determined using commercial kits. Serum levels of myeloperoxidase (MPO) and neutrophil elastase (NE) were measured using ELISA. Double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) in serum was quantified using the Quant-iT PicoGreen assay. We also compared the circulating NET levels with various parameters in the study subjects.

Results: The levels of serum NET markers, dsDNA, MPO, and NE, were significantly elevated in patients with CAD, particularly in the severe group, consistent with the increase in neutrophil counts. The levels of NET markers correlated with the risk factors of AS, increasing with the number of risk factors. NET markers were identified as independent risk factors for severe coronary stenosis and also as predictors of severe CAD.

Conclusion: NETs may be related to AS and serve as indicators or predictors of stenosis in patients with severe CAD.

Keywords: Atherosclerosis; Coronary heart disease; Myeloperoxidase; Neutrophil elastase; Neutrophil extracellular traps.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare there are no competing interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Flowchart of the study selection procedure.
Figure 2
Figure 2. Serum levels of NET-associated parameters in patients with CAD and controls.
Serum levels of MPO, NE, and dsDNA in healthy controls and all patients with CAD (A, B, C). Total counts of WBCs, PMNs, and platelets in plasma in healthy controls and all patients with CAD (D, E, F). Statistical significance is indicated by asterisks (* P < 0.05, ** P < 0.01, *** P < 0.001). The one-way analysis of variance test including Bonferroni correction was used to perform group comparisons. dsDNA, double-stranded DNA; MPO, myeloperoxidase; NE, neutrophil elastase; PMN, polymorphonuclear.
Figure 3
Figure 3. Relationship between NET-associated markers and risk factors for coronary atherosclerosis in all subjects.
The one-way analysis of variance test including Bonferroni correction was used to perform group comparisons. Statistical significance is indicated by asterisks (* P < 0.05, ** P < 0.01, *** P < 0.001); 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 indicate the number of types of risk factors in one subject.
Figure 4
Figure 4. RUC curve analysis was used to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of Net-associated markers in predicting the stenosis severity of CAD.
Values are mean ± SD.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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