Determination of antioxidant vitamins and chlamydia pneumoniae IgG antibodies in patients with atherosclerosis

ABSTRACT

Atherosclerotic coronary heart disease is a wide spread disease in the entire world causing death in most cases. Disorders of lipoproteins metabolism are of the most important modifiable risk factors for atherosclerosis. High intake of antioxidant vitamins e.g. vitamin E and A have been linked with a reduced risk of coronary vascular disease. Chlamydia pneumoniae infection has been associated with coronary vascular disease. The aim of the present work is to estimate serum levels of lipid profile; antioxidant vitamins A [retinol] and F [alpha-tocopherol] as well as Chlamydia pneumoniae lgG antibodies in Patients with Atherosclerosis. A case control study was conducted on fourty atherosclerotic patients aged 30-50 [40 +/- 10] years. The control group was another fourty healthy age and sex matched individuals. Fasting blood samples were collected from all subjects; serum was separated by centrifugation and was subjected to the determination of total cholesterol [TC], triglycerides [TG]. high density lipoprotein cholesterol [HDL-C] and low density lipoprotein cholesterol [LDL-C] concentrations. Retinol and alpha-tocopherol levels were estimated by high performance liquid chromatography. Chlamydia pneumoniae specific IgG antibodies were also measured by micro-immunofluorescence technique. Serum levels of TC, TG, LDL-C, TC/HDL-C ratio and LDL-C/HDL-C ratio were significantly higher, while serum levels of HDL and alpha-tocopherol were significantly lower in patients than their corresponding control. Chlamydiapneumoniae specific IgG antibodies were detected in 50% of patients and in 7.5% of control. The present study revealed that the decreased levels of vitamin A and E together with the increased prevalence of Chlamydia pneumoniae lgG antibodies may represent non-traditional risk factors for atherosclerosis