Journal
ARTERIOSCLEROSIS THROMBOSIS AND VASCULAR BIOLOGY
Volume 26, Issue 4, Pages 857-863Publisher
LIPPINCOTT WILLIAMS & WILKINS
DOI: 10.1161/01.ATV.0000204334.48195.6a
Keywords
arteriosclerosis; inflammation; plaque stability
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Objective-Based on its role in inflammation and matrix degradation, we hypothesized a role for osteoprotegerin (OPG), RANK, and RANK ligand (RANKL) in coronary artery disease. Methods and Results-We examined the expression of various members of the OPG/RANKL/RANK axis in patients with stable and unstable angina and in the atherosclerotic lesions of apolipoprotein E-deficient (apoE(-/-)) mice. Our findings were: (1) Serum levels of OPG were raised in patients with unstable angina (n = 40), but not in those with stable angina (n = 40), comparing controls (n = 20); (2) mRNA levels of RANKL were increased in T-cells in unstable angina patients accompanied by increased expression of RANK in monocytes; (3) strong immunostaining of OPG/RANKL/RANK was seen within thrombus material obtained at the site of plaque rupture during acute myocardial infarction; (4) OPG/RANKL/RANK was expressed in the atherosclerotic plaques of apoE(-/-) mice, with RANKL located specifically to the plaques; and (5) RANKL enhanced the release of monocyte chemoattractant peptide-1 in mononuclear cells from unstable angina patients, and promoted matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) activity in vascular smooth muscle cells. Conclusions-We show enhanced expression of the OPG/RANKL/RANK system both in clinical and experimental atherosclerosis, with enhanced T-cell expression of RANKL as an important feature of unstable disease.
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