Changes of levels of plasma sCD40L,MMP-9 and TIMP-1 in patients with acute coronary syndrome and their clinical significance

Objective:To investigate changes of levels of soluble CD40 ligand(sCD40L),serum matrix metalloproteinase-9(MMP-9) and serum tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases-1(TIMP-1) in patients with acute coronary syndrome(ACS) and their correlation.Methods:Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to measure levels of sCD40L,MMP-9 and TIMP-1 in 70 patients with coronary heart disease(CHD) [35 ACS cases,35 cases with stable angina pectoris(SAP)] and 35 non-CHD patients(normal control group).Results:Compared with normal control group and SAP group,the levels of sCD40L [(2.73±0.92) μg/ml vs.(3.05±0.98) μg/ml vs.(4.72±1.15) μg/ml] and MMP-9 [(152.38±54.22) ng/ml vs.(341.12±69.96) ng/ml vs.(574.2±139.20) ng/ml]significantly increased,and level of TIMP-1 [(415.92±13.96) ng/ml vs.(249.32±36.80) ng/ml vs.(172.20±40.10) ng/ml] significantly decreased in ACS group,P0.01 all;MMP-9 level was positively correlated with sCD40L level(r=0.42,P0.05).Conclusion:Increased levels of sCD40L and serum MMP-9 and decreased serum TIMP-1 level in ACS patients may be related with instability of atheromatous plaque,and they could serve as serological indicators for instability of atheromatous plaque.