Table 1.
Selected observational studies of endothelial function and markers of inflammation
| Reference | Study population | Inflammatory marker | Assessment of endothelial function | Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fichtlscherer et al. (2000) | 60 Men with CAD | CRP, TNF-α, and sICAM-1 | FBF acetylcholine | Inverse correlation between CRP and endothelial function and no correlation with other markers |
| Sinisalo et al. (2000) | 31 Men with CAD | CRP, antibodies to ox-LDL, and CD4 and CD8 counts | FBF acetylcholine | Inverse correlations between endothelial function and CRP, ox-LDL, and CD4 count |
| Tomai et al. (2001) | 54 Patients with CAD | CRP | Coronary cold pressor test | Correlation between CRP and severity of cold-induced constriction |
| Brevetti et al. (2001) | 31 Patients with PAD, 14 controls | sICAM-1 and sVCAM-1 | Brachial artery FMD | Inverse correlation between sICAM-1 and sVCAM-1 and FMD |
| Tan et al. (2002) | 80 Patients with type II diabetes and hypercholesterolemia | CRP | Brachial artery FMD | Inverse correlation between FMD and CRP |
| Holmlund et al. (2002) | 59 Healthy subjects | CRP, ICAM-1, VCAM-1, and E selectin | FBF methacholine and nitroprusside | Inverse correlation between endothelial function and sICAM-1 and no relation with VCAM-1, E selectin, or CRP |
| Prasad et al. (2002) | 218 Patients referred for catheterization | CRP and antibodies to infectious agents | Coronary acetylcholine | No relation between endothelial function and CRP and strong inverse correlation with pathogen antibodies |
| Brevetti et al. (2003) | 88 Patients with PAD | CRP and fibrinogen | Brachial artery FMD | Inverse correlation between CRP, fibrinogen, and FMD |
| Witte et al. (2003) | 166 Healthy subjects | sICAM-1 and CRP | Brachial artery FMD | Inverse correlation between sICAM-1, CRP, and FMD |
| Teragawa et al. (2004) | 46 Patients with normal coronary angiography | CRP | Intracoronary artery acetylcholine | Inverse correlation between CRP and endothelial function in coronary microcirculation |
| Vita et al. (2004) | 2701 Community-based subjects | CRP, IL-6, MCP-1, and sICAM-1 | Brachial artery FMD and reactive hyperemia | Inverse correlation between CRP, IL-6, ICAM-1, and FMD and reactive hyperemia, and weakened after adjustment for risk factors |
| Verma et al. (2004) | 1154 Male firemen | CRP | Brachial artery FMD | No correlation between CRP and FMD |
FBF indicates forearm blood flow measured with venous occlusion plethysmography; PAD, peripheral arterial disease; sVCAM-1, soluble vascular adhesion molecule 1; FMD, flow-mediated dilation; ICAM-1, intercellular adhesion molecule 1; VCAM-1, vascular adhesion molecule 1; MCP-1, monocyte chemotactic protein 1.