Significance of soluble CD40 ligand in the vulnerability of coronary atherosclerotic plaque

AIM: To evaluate the significance of serum soluble CD40 ligand (sCD40L) in the vulnerability of coronary atherosclerotic plaque, the relationship between the level of sCD40L and the stenosis degree of the coronary artery by the coronary angiography (CAG), and other inflammatory factors. METHODS: According to WHO diagnostic criterior of coronary heart disease (CHD) and the results of CAG, 84 cases of CHD and 20 cases of non-CHD (NCHD) were included in this study. 84 cases of CHD were divided into three groups: 30 cases in acute myocardial infarction (AMI) group, 30 cases in unstable angina (UA), 24 cases in stable angina (SA). The sera levels of sCD40L in four groups were detected by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and the results were expressed with μg/L. CAG were all conducted in four cases and the results were further evaluated by Jenkins score. ESR and CRP were detected at the same time. RESULTS: The sera levels of sCD40L in four groups were significantly different (P<0.01). The level of sCD40L in AMI group (8.48±4.13) μg/L was higher than that in SA group (4.36±2.68) μg/L, P<0.01 and NCHD group (4.12±1.96) μg/L, P<0.01. The level of sCD40L in UA group (8.72±4.26) μg/L was higher than that in SA group and NCHD group (P<0.01). The level of sCD40L in UA group was slightly higher than that in AMI group, but the difference of two group is not significant (P>0.05). The level of sCD40L in SA group was slightly higher than that in NCHD group, but the difference of two group is not significant (P>0.05). The sera levels of sCD40L in CHD were significantly and positively correlated with Jenkins score (r=0.524, P<0.01). The sera level of sCD40L was positively correlated with the levels of CRP and ESR. CONCLUSION: The sera levels of sCD40L in the patients with various types of CHD are significantly different. The level of sCD40L in the patients with AMI and UA are significantly higher than those in SA and NCHD groups, which may reflect the vulnerability of coronary atherosclerotic plaque. The sera levels of sCD40L is increased with the increasing number of diseased coronary branches and Jenkins score, suggesting that sCD40L promotes atherosclerosis and also can be used as a parameter to predict pathological severity of coronary atherosclerosis. The level of sCD40L is obviously correlated with the levels of CRP and ESR.