Plasma levels of soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 in patients with acute ischemic stroke: relation to neurological impairment

ABSTRACT

Intercellular adhesion molecule-l [ICAM-I] is one of the adhesion molecules that is released from activated endothelial cells secondary to tissue ischemia and has a role in leukocytes recruitment. In this study, plasma levels of soluble ICAM-I [sICAM-I] were assessed in 20 patients with acute ischemic stroke as verified by clinical examination and brain CT, as well as in ten healthy subjects as controls .Results showed statistically significant elevation in plasma levels of sICAM-l in patients with acute ischemic stroke compared to controls. Significant positive correlation was also noticed between plasma sICAM-I levels and scores of National Institutes of Health-National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke scale, which is a functional scale of neurological impairment.Conclusively, Patients with acute ischemic stroke have significant elavation of plasma sICAM-l levels that is correlated with the degree of neurological impairment. Further studies are recommended to study the significance of this elevation and to assess whether therapeutic use of anti-ICAM-l antibodies may be of value in improving outcome of the disease