Exercise increases soluble adhesion molecules ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 in patients with intermittent claudication

Adhesion molecules play a relevant role in the pathogenesis of vascular dis eases. In 21 patients with intermittent claudication and 18 sex- and age-ma tched control subjects, we measured plasma levels of the circulating form o f the adhesion molecules E-selectin, P-selectin, intercellular adhesion mol ecule-1 (ICAM-1) and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) alongside v on Willebrand factor (vWF), at rest, at maximally tolerated exercise and 5, 15 and 30 min after exercise. In controls, plasma sICAM-1 levels did not change with exercise, while in c laudicants they increased from 285 +/- 15 to 317 +/- 16 ng/ml (p<0.01). Als o for sVCAM-1 exercise did not modify plasma levels of sVCAM-1 in controls but increased it in claudicants from 671<plus/minus>45 to 751 +/- 47 ng/ml (p<0.05). Similarly, vWF did not change with exercise in controls, but incr eased in claudicants from 100<plus/minus>9% to 111 +/-8% of value for poole d normal plasma (p<0.05). Exercise-induced changes in sICAM-1 negatively co rrelated with the maximal tolerated walking time, which is an index of dise ase severity. These findings indicate that, in claudicants, exercise is ass ociated with increase in plasma levels of sICAM-1 and sVCAM-1.