Affiliations: Department of Pharmacology, National University of
Singapore, Singapore | Department of Anesthesiology, National University
Hospital Singapore, Singapore | Department of Neurology, Singapore General Hospital,
Singapore | Departments of Cardiac Surgery, National University
Hospital Singapore, Singapore
Note: [] Address for correspondence: Dr Craig Steven McLachlan, 46 The
Sanctuary, Westleigh, Sydney, NSW 2120, Australia. Tel.: +61 0414 242 294;
E-mail: [email protected]
Abstract: Homocysteine, cytokines (IL-18, IL-6, IL-8) are involved in vascular
inflammation and coronary artery disease. Homocysteine influences endothelial
IL-6 and IL-8 cytokine expression and release, however, an association between
homocysteine and IL-18 has not been previously investigated in
endothelial/smooth muscle cells and or in coronary artery disease. We report in
9 coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG) patients a positive correlation
r=0.86 between homocysteine and IL-18 plasma levels
(p<0.05). Plasma IL-18 levels are significantly higher in
those patients with elevated homocysteine compared to those with normal levels
(p<0.02; 153 ± 19 pg/ml
versus 116 ± 14 pg/ml respectively). Our in vitro cell
culture studies suggest that the source of IL-18 in CABG patients with elevated
homocysteine is not from vascular smooth muscle or endothelial cells.
Keywords: IL-18, homocysteine, CABG, human coronary smooth muscle and endothelial cells, coronary artery disease
Journal: BioFactors, vol. 23, no. 2, pp. 69-73, 2005
