Role of Th1 and Th17 cells in the development and complexity of coronary artery disease: comparison analysis by the methods of flow cytometry and SYNTAX score.

Background There have been few reports on the relationship between the expression of the CD4(+) T cells producing interferon-gamma (Th1)/interleukin-17 (Th17) and degree of atherosclerosis. Thus, we analyzed Th1 and Th17 cell frequencies in patients with noncardiac chest pain (control), stable angina (SA), and acute myocardial infarction (AMI), and compared the complexity of the coronary artery with the SYNTAX score. Patients and methods This study included 124 patients with a complaint of chest pain who underwent coronary angiography (control: 30 patients, SA: 47 patients, AMI: 47 patients). Peripheral blood was sampled during coronary angiography. Mononuclear cells from patients were stimulated for 4 h ex vivo. After staining with specific antibodies and fluorescence, the frequencies of Th1 and Th17 cells were measured by flow cytometry. The SYNTAX score was calculated by coronary angiography and a web-based calculator. Results There was no significant difference in the baseline characteristics, except the higher frequencies of hypertension in SA patients (76.1%) and smoking in AMI patients (53.3%). Patients with SA showed a significantly higher frequency of Th1 cells (21.56 +/- 9.57%) compared with controls (14.84 +/- 8.58%) and patients with AMI (9.04 +/- 7.02%) (P < 0.001). The frequency of Th17 cells also increased in SA patients (control: 1.90 +/- 1.05%, SA: 2.96 +/- 1.42%, AMI: 1.32 +/- 0.92%, P < 0.001). The SYNTAX score was significantly higher in SA patients (SA: 21.51 +/- 11.67, AMI: 15.36 +/- 8.84, P = 0.006) and correlated with the frequencies of Th1 and Th17 cells (r = 0.359, P = 0.001; r = 0.248, P = 0.031; respectively). Conclusion Th1 and Th17 cells were related to the development of SA, but not AMI. They could be a useful marker for the complexity of atherosclerosis in coronary artery disease. Copyright (C) 2015 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.