COULD LYMPHOCYTE CASPASE-3 ACTIVITY PREDICT ATHEROSCLEROTIC PLAQUE VULNERABILITY?

Apoptotic cell death may play a critical role in a variety of cardiovascular diseases, especially in those developing on the basis of atherosclerosis. The goal of this study was to compare the activity of caspase-3 in different forms of ischemic heart disease and to correlate caspase-3 activity with inflammatory and lipid markers as well as risk factors. This enzyme activity was determined in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of 30 patients with stable angina pectoris (SAP), 27 with unstable angina (USAP), 39 with acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and 27 healthy volunteers by a colorimetric commercially available ELISA method. In the SAP group caspase-3 activity was 0.093 +/- 0.036 mu mol/mg protein, in patients with STEMI it was 0.110 +/- 0.062 mu mol/mg protein, and both values were insignificantly higher in comparison with controls (0.092 +/- 0.022 mu mol/mg protein). In PBMC of USAP patients caspase-3 activity (0.122 +/- 0.062 mmol/mg protein) was significantly higher (p<0.05) compared to the control group. In SAP patients caspase-3 activity showed a significant positive correlation with triglicerydes (p<0.05). Caspase-3 activity may be a valid parameter for assessing the atherosclerotic plaque activity, and a new target for therapeutic intervention.