Inflammation contributes to the development of
atherosclerosis and cardiovascular events. Counteracting pro- and anti-inflammatory responses of serum
cytokines have been reported, but the relevance of
TNF-alpha,
TGF-beta and
IL-6 gene expression in peripheral blood leukocytes and their contribution to systemic
inflammation in
atherosclerosis, especially after acute
myocardial infarction (AMI), has not been investigated yet. Using quantitative RT-PCR, we determined temporal
cytokine mRNA expression alterations in blood cells from patients with AMI (n = 51). Serum
cytokine concentrations were analyzed in parallel using the ELISA technique.
TNF-alpha mRNA expression rates and serum concentrations were significantly elevated in AMI patients compared to controls (n = 77), while
mRNA expression and serum content of
TGF-beta were decreased. Interestingly, we found no statistically significant correlation between transcript and
protein levels, indicating that gene expression in leukocytes may be an independent sign for systemic
inflammation. While
IL-6 was significantly increased in serum from AMI patients with positive correlation to
left ventricular dysfunction and negative correlation to ejection fraction,
IL-6 mRNA levels did not differ between patients and controls. Gene expression alterations indicate a sophisticated regulation of counteracting
TNF-alpha and
TGF-beta cytokine expression in peripheral blood leukocytes after AMI with bias towards a pro-inflammatory situation.