Anti-endothelial cell antibodies in patients with coronary atherosclerosis

Anti-endothelial cell antibodies (AECA) have been shown to possess endothel ial cell activation properties and to harbor pathogenic potential in experi mental animal models of autoimmune systemic disorders. Atherosclerosis is a form of an inflammatory condition in which the immune system has been show n to be involved. The aim of the present study was to assess the presence o f AECA in patients with coronary atherosclerosis. A total of 134 patients a dmitted for chest pain of suspected anginal origin were evaluated for coron ary artery atherosclerosis by angiography. Sera were drawn prior to the pro cedure for the determination of AECA employing cyto-ELISA. AECA positive se ra were further evaluated for its ability to promote in vitro E-selectin ex pression by HUVEC using a cell-based ELISA. Patients with no coronary arter y involvement had levels of AECA that did not differ from those obtained fo r patients with confirmed coronary atherosclerosis (one, two or three vesse l disease). Furthermore, AECA positive sera from patients, with or without coronary atherosclerosis displayed similar capacity of inducing E-selectin expression by endothelial cells. AECA may not stand as an optimal mean of d iscriminating atherosclerotic from non-atherosclerotic patients. The abilit y of AECA to activate endothelial cells is also not unique to patients with atherosclerosis and is evident also in age-matched control subjects. (C) 2 000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.