Association of the increased circulating CD62LloCXCR4hi neutrophil count with carotid atherosclerosis

Abstract

Introduction. The role of neutrophils in the initiation and progression of atherosclerosis as well as in the development of its complications has received scientific attention only in the recent years. Today, there is growing evidence to support a role of the CXCL12/CXCR4 axis in sustained inflammation during different chronic inflammatory diseases by retaining neutrophils at inflammatory sites.The aim of the study is to assess the diagnostic and prognostic significance of circulating CD62LloCXCR4 hi neutrophils in patients with carotid atherosclerosis.Materials and methods. A total of 75 patients (52% of men and 48% of women) aged 40 to 64 years were examined. None of them were diagnosed with atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases. All the patients underwent carotid artery duplex scanning. The flow cytometry and CD16, CD11b, CD62L, CD182 (CXCR2) and CD184 (CXCR4) conjugated monoclonal antibodies were used for phenotyping and differentiation of neutrophil subpopulations.Results. Atherosclerotic plaques in carotid arteries were detected in 72% of the patients; most of the patients were diagnosed with stenosis development in more than one of the carotid arteries (CA). The elevated levels of circulating CXCR4h neutrophils were associated with the levels of total cholesterol (r = 0.377; p = 0.001), low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (r = 0.293; p = 0.014) and triglycerides (r = 0.388; p = 0.003). The study revealed direct correlation between the circulating CXCR4 hi neutrophil count and the cumulative percentage of CA stenosis (r = 0.300; p = 0.011), including the number of stenosed CA (r = 0.291; p = 0.034). It was also found that CXCR4 hi neutrophil counts demonstrated a statistically significant increase along with the increased number of stenosed CA (p = 0.025). The ROC analysis findings show that the elevated CXCR4 hi neutrophil counts ≥260 cells/μL made it possible to diagnose stenotic lesion of 4 CAs with a sensitivity of 71.4% and specificity reaching 76.6%.Conclusion. In patients with carotid atherosclerosis, the increased count of circulating CD62LloCXCR4 hi neutrophils was associated with the increased number of stenosed CAs, while no significant changes were observed in the other examined subpopulations of neutrophil granulocytes. The increased CD62LloCXCR4 hi neutrophil count made it possible to diagnose stenotic lesion of 4 CAs with a sufficient sensitivity and specificity.