Comparative assessment of cardiac-specific autoantibodies levels in persons with occupational pathology caused by exposure to physical and chemical factors

Abstract

Introduction. The pathology of the cardiovascular system is one of the dominant causes of mortality. It has been established that exposure to vibration and mercury is associated with the development of heart and vascular diseases. Specific autoantibodies can be used as markers of exposure effects. The aim of the work was a comparative assessment of the levels of cardiac-specific autoantibodies in individuals with vibrational disease (VD) and chronic mercury intoxication. Material and methods. We examined VD patients, with chronic mercury intoxication (CMI), who work in contact with a toxicant and in the long-term post-exposure period, and the comparison group. The relative content of specific autoantibodies to nitric oxide synthase (NOS), platelet membrane components (PMC), neutrophil cytoplasm, and vascular endothelial cell antigens (c-ANCA), plasminogen, collagen, and PAPP-A protein were studied in the patient’s blood serum. Results. In individuals with CMI, the levels of autoantibodies PCM, c-ANCA are lower for plasminogen and higher for collagen than in the comparison group and in VD patients. Elevated levels of anti-collagen antibodies were found in 70% of individuals with CMI. Among patients with CMI, elevated levels of antibodies to NOS were found in 60% of persons exposed to mercury and were not detected in the long-term post-exposure period. Discussion. The high frequency of elevated levels of antibodies to collagen and correlations between their level and the rest of the indices may indicate its important role in the development of endothelial dysfunction in persons with CMI. Elevated levels of autoantibodies to NOS in patients exposed to mercury are accompanied by a decrease in NO levels and may be an important part of the pathogenesis of endothelial dysfunction. Conclusion. The profile of cardiac-specific autoantibodies in VD patients is similar to that in the comparison group. Elevated levels of antibodies to collagen and decreased levels of antigens of platelets and plasminogen play an important role in the development of endothelial dysfunction in patients with CMI. The high frequency of hyper immunoreactivity of autoantibodies to NOS and c-ANCA, which is observed in patients with CMI who are in contact with a toxicant, decreases in the long-term post-exposure period.