This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in Web of Science Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Web of Science (9) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Kangavari, S. Articles by Cercek, B. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Kangavari, S. Articles by Cercek, B. Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

Smoking Increases Inflammation and Metalloproteinase Expression in Human Carotid Atherosclerotic Plaques

Atherosclerosis Research Center and the Division of Cardiology and Department of Medicine, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles

Shlomo Matetzky, MD

Atherosclerosis Research Center and the Division of Cardiology and Department of Medicine, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles

Prediman K. Shah, MD

Atherosclerosis Research Center and the Division of Cardiology and Department of Medicine, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles

Juliana Yano, BS

Atherosclerosis Research Center and the Division of Cardiology and Department of Medicine, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles

Kuang-Yuh Chyu, MD, PhD

Atherosclerosis Research Center and the Division of Cardiology and Department of Medicine, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles

Michael C. Fishbein, MD

Department of Pathology, UCLA School of Medicine, UCLA Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA

Bojan Cercek, MD, PhD

Atherosclerosis Research Center and the Division of Cardiology and Department of Medicine, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles

Objectives: To evaluate the effects of cigarette smoking on the composition of human carotid endarterectomy plaques.

Background: Smoking has been recognized as a major risk factor in atherogenesis. It is believed that smoking contributes to the atherosclerotic process and plaque instability in part by increasing the adherence of macrophages to the vessel wall and inducing the release of proteolytic enzymes. However, data are lacking in humans.

Methods: Carotid endarterectomy specimens of 21 smokers and 21 nonsmokers matched for age, gender, and symptoms were immunohistochemically stained with antibodies against CD68 (macrophages [MAC]), macrophage-derived metalloelastase (MMP-12), and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 1 (TIMP-1). Sections were also evaluated for elastin content by van Gieson staining. The stained areas were planimetrically quantified as the percentage of immunopositive tissue area of the total tissue area.

Results: Smoking was associated with increased macrophage immunoreactivity (9.1% ± 7.4% vs 3.4% ± 2.9%; P = .003) as well as increased expression of MMP-12 (13.4% ± 6.7% vs 5.5% ± 3.5%; P = .0004). However, plaques from smokers had decreased TIMP-1 expression (7.7% ± 5.7% vs 13.1% ± 8.5%; P = .04) and decreased elastin content (26.9% ± 14.5% vs 38.9% ± 18.4%; P = .02).

Conclusions: This study demonstrates that cigarette smoking increases markers of inflammation and tissue destruction in atherosclerotic plaques. This change in plaque composition may at least in part explain the effect of smoking on the instability of human atherosclerotic plaques.

Key Words: smoking • inflammation • endarterectomy plaques • atherosclerosis

Journal of Cardiovascular Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Vol. 9, No. 4, 291-298 (2004)
DOI: 10.1177/107424840400900410


CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				B. D. Lamon and D. P. Hajjar Inflammation at the Molecular Interface of Atherogenesis: An Anthropological Journey Am. J. Pathol., November 1, 2008; 173(5): 1253 - 1264. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				G. A. Rodriguez-Granillo, H. M. Garcia-Garcia, M. Valgimigli, S. Vaina, C. van Mieghem, R. J. van Geuns, M. van der Ent, E. Regar, P. de Jaegere, W. van der Giessen, et al. Global characterization of coronary plaque rupture phenotype using three-vessel intravascular ultrasound radiofrequency data analysis Eur. Heart J., August 2, 2006; 27(16): 1921 - 1927. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				T. S. Perlstein and R. T. Lee Smoking, Metalloproteinases, and Vascular Disease Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol, February 1, 2006; 26(2): 250 - 256. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]