Trans‐vessel gradient of myeloperoxidase in coronary artery disease

Background Coronary artery disease ( CAD ) may reflect generalized inflammation. We evaluated leucocyte activation in subjects with and without CAD in different vascular compartments. Materials and Methods Patients were divided in two groups; subjects without CAD (controls; n  = 25) and with stable CAD ( n  = 52) based on coronary angiography. After blood sampling from vessels, cardiovascular risk factors and leucocyte activation markers CD 11b, CD 66b and cytoplasmatic myeloperoxidase ( MPO ) were determined by flow cytometry. Results Myeloperoxidase ( MPO ) was higher in patients with CAD at all sites compared with controls (188 ± 7 vs. 210 ± 12 au for venous ( P  < 0·05), 178 ± 7 vs. 212 ± 12 au for femoral artery ( P  = 0·08), 166 ± 7 vs. 195 ± 12 au for abdominal artery ( P  < 0·05), 166 ± 6 vs. 189 ± 14 au for left coronary ( P  = 0·08) and 163 ± 6 vs. 193 ± 12 au for the right coronary artery ( P  < 0·05)). Other markers did not differ between the groups. A gradient of inflammation from peripheral vessels to the coronaries was found by differences in MPO in both groups; from 210 ± 12 au in the venous compartments towards 189 ± 14 and 193 ± 12 au, in the left and right coronaries, respectively, for the controls ( P  = 0·001), and from 188 ± 7 au in the venous compartment towards 166 ± 6 and 163 ± 6 au in the left and right coronaries, respectively, for the patients ( P  = 0·007). Other leucocyte activation markers did not show such a gradient. Conclusions There is a generalized inflammatory neutrophil gradient for MPO from peripheral vessels towards the coronaries in both patients with CAD and controls. However, patients with CAD show a higher degree of inflammation, mostly in the coronaries. These data strengthen the role of activated neutrophils in CAD .