CYTOKINE GENE-EXPRESSION IN AORTIC ADVENTITIAL INFLAMMATION ASSOCIATED WITH ADVANCED ATHEROSCLEROSIS (CHRONIC PERIAORTITIS)

Aims-To determine whether aortic adventitial chronic inflammation asso ciated with advanced atherosclerosis (''chronic periaortitis'') is ass ociated with any detectable cytokine gene expression. Methods-RNA was extracted from six fresh surgical specimens of atherosclertic aortic a neurysm wall showing a spectrum of chronic periaortitis. Controls incl uded four normal aortas and an HUT 78 T cell line. Reverse transcripta se and the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) were used to amplify mRNA f or interleukins-1 alpha (IL-1 alpha), -2 (IL-2), -4 (IL-4), IL-2 recep tor-alpha (IL-2R-alpha), tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) and gamma interferon (IFN-gamma) with beta-actin as an internal control. R esults-No TNF-alpha mRNA was detected in any of the inflamed aortic ti ssue samples, in contrast to the aortic T lymphocytes propagated in cu lture in IL-2 conditioned medium (aortic cultured T cells) and periphe ral blood mononuclear cells from these patients. In contrast, IFN-gamm a, IL-1 alpha, IL-2, IL-2 receptor and IL-4 PCR products were detected for each inflamed aortic tissue RNA sample with IFN-gamma mRNA expres sion increasing with increasing degrees of adventitial inflammation. O nly beta-actin mRNA was present in the normal aorta. Conclusions-These findings indicate the active nature of aortic adventitial chronic inf lammation associated with human advanced atherosclerosis (''chronic pe riaortitis'') and show its possible progressive potential to the clini cally important diseases termed ''idiopathic retroperitoneal fibrosis' ' and ''inflammatory aneurysm''.