Increased Expression of Interleukin-18 mRNA is Associated with Carotid Artery Stenosis

• Published in: Balkan medical journal Vol. 35; no. 3; pp. 250 - 255
• Main Authors: Arapi, Berk, Bayoğlu, Burcu, Cengiz, Müjgan, Dirican, Ahmet, Deser, Serkan Burç, Junusbekov, Yerik, Arslan, Caner
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English; Turkish
• Published: Turkey Galenos Yayinevi Tic. Ltd 01.05.2018; Trakya Üniversitesi; Aves Yayincilik Ltd. STI; Galenos Publishing; Galenos Publishing House
• Subjects: Atherosclerosis; Cardiovascular disease; Carotid arteries; Carotid artery; Carotid artery diseases; Cytokines; Development and progression; Diabetes; Gene expression; Heart surgery; Interleukin-18; interleukin-18-binding protein; Medical imaging; Medicine; Messenger RNA; Original; Polymerase chain reaction; Polymorphism; stenosis; Stroke; Tıp; Türkiye; Edirne; Turkey; California; United States > US; Germany; Carotid artery; interleukin-18; stenosis; gene expression; interleukin-18-binding protein
• ISSN: 2146-3123; 2146-3131
• DOI: 10.4274/balkanmedj.2017.0323

Carotid artery stenosis is the atherosclerotic narrowing of the proximal internal carotid artery and one of the primary causes of stroke. Elevated expression of the pleiotropic proinflammatory cytokine interleukin-18 has been demonstrated in human atherosclerotic plaques. To investigate whether the mRNA expression levels of interleukin-18 and interleukin-18-binding protein and interleukin-18 −137 G/C (rs187238) variants are associated with carotid artery stenosis development. Case-control study. The mRNA expression levels of interleukin-18 and interleukin-18-binding protein and interleukin-18 rs187238 variants were evaluated by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and real-time polymerase chain reaction, respectively, in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells of 70 patients with carotid artery stenosis (36 symptomatic, 34 asymptomatic) and 75 healthy controls. Interleukin-18 mRNA expression was significantly increased in carotid artery stenosis patients compared to that in healthy controls (p=0.01). However, no significant difference was observed between interleukin-18-binding protein mRNA expression levels in patients with carotid artery stenosis and those in controls (p=0.101). Internal carotid artery stenosis severity was significantly higher in symptomatic patients than that in asymptomatic patients (p<0.001). A significant relationship was identified between interleukin-18 expression and internal carotid artery stenosis severity in patients with carotid artery stenosis (p=0.051). Interleukin-18 rs187238 polymorphism genotype frequencies did not significantly differ between patients with carotid artery stenosis and controls (p=0.246). A significant difference was identified between interleukin-18-binding protein gene expression and symptomatic and asymptomatic patients (p=0.026), but there was no difference in interleukin-18 expression between the symptomatic and asymptomatic subgroups (p=0.397). Interleukin-18 mRNA expression may affect carotid artery stenosis etiopathogenesis and internal carotid artery stenosis severity and also may play a mechanistic role in the pathogenesis of carotid artery stenosis, influencing the appearance of symptoms.