Cardiovascular Research Advance Access first published online on February 15, 2008
This version [Accepted Manuscript] published online on February 22, 2008
Cardiovascular Research, doi:10.1093/cvr/cvn040
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TUMOR NECROSIS FACTOR
UP-REGULATES PLATELET CD40L IN PATIENTS WITH HEART FAILURE
* IV Divisione di Clinica Medica Department of Experimental Medicine and Pathology University of Rome "La Sapienza", Italy
Address for correspondence: Francesco Violi Department of Experimental Medicine and Pathology University of Rome "La Sapienza", Italy Policlinico Umberto I, 00185, Rome, Italy Tel +39 0644 61933 Fax +39 0649 970893 email francesco.violi{at}uniroma1.it
Aims: Patients with heart failure (HF) have elevated values of the pro-inflammatory protein CD40L but the underlying mechanism is unclear. This study was performed to evaluate the interplay between tumour necrosis factor
(TNF
) and CD40L in heart failure.
Methods: In patients with HF (n= 85) and healthy subjects (HS, n= 43), plasma levels of soluble CD40L (sCD40L), TNF
, soluble receptors of TNF
such as soluble TNF receptor I and II (sTNFR1 and sTNFR2) and 8OH-dG, a marker of oxidative stress, were determined. Also, an in vitro study was performed by determining platelet CD40L regulation upon platelet stimulation with TNF
.
Results: Compared to HS, HF patients had higher plasma values of sCD40L, TNF
, sTNFR1 and sTNFR2 and higher platelet expression of TNFR1 and TNFR2 with a progressive increase from NYHA I to NYHA IV classification. Soluble CD40L significantly correlated with TNF
, sTNFR1 and sTNFR2; plasma levels of TNF
significantly correlated with sCD40L. Incubation of platelets from HF patients with a TNF
receptor inhibitor significantly decreased platelet CD40L expression. The in vitro study demonstrated that TNF
significantly increased CD40L expression, an effect weakly influenced by aspirin but significantly reduced by AACOCF3, an inhibitor of PLA2, apocynin, an inhibitor of NADPH oxidase, or staurosporine, an inhibitor of PKC.
Conclusions: The study shows that in HF patients, platelet CD40L is up-regulated by TNF
via a cyclooxygenase-1-independent, arachidonic acid-mediated oxidative stress mechanism.
Time for primary review: 25 days
This is a new version as the authors' first and last names were transposed in the first version.