Correlation between expression levels of IL-37, GM-CSF, and CRP in peripheral blood and atherosclerosis and plaque stability

Abstract

The study aimed to study the correlation between expression levels of interleukin-37 (IL-37), granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), and C-reactive protein (CRP) in peripheral blood and the status of atherosclerosis (AS) and plaque stability and to confirm the clinical significance of these inflammatory factors in the pathogenesis of AS. A total of 64 AS patients (case group) were selected and divided into unstable plaque group (group A, 28 cases) and stable plaque group (group B, 36 cases) according to the color ultrasonography results of arterial vessels. At the same time, 30 healthy subjects were classified into the control group. General information of the enrolled subjects was collected, including levels of total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), CRP, and homocysteine (Hcy). The expression levels of IL-37 and GM-CSF in the serum of peripheral blood samples collected from these subjects were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). There was no significant difference between the case group and the control group in the levels of TC, TG, HDL, and LDL (P > 0.05). However, the expression level of Hcy in the case group was significantly higher than that in the control group (P < 0.05). Compared with the control group, the expression levels of IL-37, GM-CSF, and CRP in the case group were significantly increased (P < 0.05). In addition, compared with group B, the expression level of GM-CSF in group A was significantly increased (P < 0.05), while no significant difference was detected between group A and group B in the expression levels of IL-37 and CRP (P > 0.05). In conclusion, inflammatory factors IL-37, GM-CSF, CRP, and Hcy were all involved in the pathogenesis of AS, and the increased levels of GM-CSF were closely related to the progress of unstable plaques. These results may aid the early diagnosis/treatment of AS.