The clinical significance of OX40L high expression in patients with acute coronary syndromes

Objective To investigate the clinical implications of OX40 ligand(OX40L) on peripheral blood lymphocytes and changes in serum soluble OX40L(sOX40L) in patients with acute coronary syndromes(ACS).Methods Twenty control and 60 patients,including 20 with stable angina(SA),40 with ACS enrolled in this study.Expression of OX40L on peripheral blood lymphocytes was analyzed by flow cytometry and sOX40L levels were measured by ELISA.C-reactive protein(CRP) in serum was determined by immunological turbidity kit.Results Expression of OX40L on peripheral blood lymphocytes in ACS patients were significantly higher than those in SA patients and controls(P0.01),while no significant difference was found between SA patients and controls(P0.05).The serum levels of sOX40L in ACS patients were significantly higher than those in SA patients and controls(P0.01).SOX40L levels in SA patients showed no significant increase when compared to controls.The levels of CRP in ACS patients were higher than those in SA patients and controls(P0.01),and the level of CRP had a positive correlation with sOX40L level(r=0.79,P0.01).A significant correlation was observed between sOX40L serum concentration and the number of complex lesions(r=0.72,P0.01).Conclusion Expression of OX40L on peripheral blood lymphocytes and sOX40L serum concentration are elevated in patients with ACS.It suggests that enhanced level of serum sOX40L may play an important role in ACS,and may be a reliable prognostic indicator for it.