Plasma soluble P-selectin in acute myocardial infarction: effects of coronary recanalization therapy

Abstract

P-selectin is translocated from platelets and endothelial cells to initiate the first step in a sequence of events leading to the adherence of leukocytes, possibly inducing reperfusion injury and the no-reflow phenomenon in acute myocardial infarction (AMI). This study was undertaken to investigate plasma P-selectin in AMI patients undergoing coronary recanalization therapy. A total of 40 patients were studied: 20 patients with AMI who underwent coronary recanalization by direct percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA), 10 patients with AMI who underwent thrombolytic therapy by tissue-type plasminogen activator (TPA), and 10 patients with stable angina pectoris who underwent elective PTCA. Blood samples were obtained from systemic arteries before and immediately after PTCA or thrombolytic therapy. Plasma-soluble P-selectin was measured by enzyme immunoassay. Plasma P-selectin was significantly higher in AMI than in stable angina pectoris (176.6 +/- 12.9 ng/mL vs 91.4 +/- 9.5 ng/mL, p<0.001). Plasma P-selectin did not change significantly as a result of elective PTCA in patients with stable angina (from 91.4 +/- 9.5 ng/mL to 87.9 +/- 7.9 ng/mL). Plasma P-selectin was decreased by direct PTCA in all of the 20 patients with AMI (from 176.2 +/- 17.7 ng/mL to 141.7 +/- 12.6 ng/mL; p<0.001, paired t-test), whereas it was increased by thrombolysis using TPA in nine of the 10 AMI patients (from 177.4 +/- 17.2 ng/mL to 248.8 +/- 17.3 ng/mL, p<0.005). Increased P-selectin activity in AMI appeared to be attenuated by direct PTCA, but augmented by thrombolysis, possibly due to direct stimulatory effects of TPA on P-selectin expression. This may lead to less favorable results in salvaging the ischemic myocardium by thrombolytic than mechanical coronary recanalization therapy in AMI.