Effects of Prolastin C (Plasma-Derived Alpha-1 Antitrypsin) on the acute inflammatory response in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (from the VCU-alpha 1-RT pilot study).

Alpha-1 antitrypsin (AAT) has broad anti-inflammatory and immunomodulating properties in addition to inhibiting serine proteases. Administration of human plasma-derived AAT is protective in models of acute myocardial infarction in mice. The objective of this study was to determine the safety and tolerability of human plasma-derived AAT and its effects on the acute inflammatory response in non-AAT deficient patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Ten patients with acute STEMI were enrolled in an open-label, single-arm treatment study of AAT at 60 mg/kg infused intravenously within 12 hours of admission and following standard of care treatment. C-reactive protein (CRP) and plasma AAT levels were determined at admission, 72 hours, and 14 days, and patients were followed clinically for 12 weeks for the occurrence of new onset heart failure, recurrent myocardial infarction, or death. Twenty patients with STEMI enrolled in previous randomized trials with identical inclusion and/or exclusion criteria, but who received placebo, served as historical controls. Prolastin C was well tolerated and there were no in-hospital adverse events. Compared with historical controls, the area under the curve of CRP levels was significantly lower 14 days after admission in the Prolastin C group (75.9 [31.4 to 147.8] vs 205.6 [78.8 to 410.9] mg/l, p = 0.048), primarily due to a significant blunting of the increase occurring between admission and 72 hours (delta CRP +1.7 [0.2 to 9.4] vs +21.1 [3.1 to 38.0] mg/l, p = 0.007). Plasma AAT levels increased from admission (149 [116 to 189]) to 203 ([185 to 225] mg/dl) to 72 hours (p = 0.005). In conclusion, a single administration of Prolastin C in patients with STEMI is well tolerated and is associated with a blunted acute inflammatory response.

Comparative safety of interleukin-1 blockade with anakinra in patients with ST-segment elevation acute myocardial infarction (from the VCU-ART and VCU-ART2 pilot studies).

Two pilot studies of interleukin-1 (IL-1) blockade in ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) showed blunted acute inflammatory response and overall favorable outcomes at 3 months follow-up. We hereby present a patient-level pooled analysis with extended follow-up of 40 patients with clinically stable STEMI randomized to anakinra, a recombinant IL-1 receptor antagonist, 100 mg/day for 14 days or placebo in a double-blinded fashion. End points included death, cardiac death, recurrent acute myocardial infarction (AMI), stroke, unstable angina, and symptomatic heart failure. Median follow-up was 28 (interquartile range 3 to 38) months. Sixteen patients (40%) had a total of 22 adverse cardiovascular events: 1 cardiac death, 4 recurrent AMI, 5 episodes of unstable angina pectoris requiring hospitalization and/or urgent revascularization, and 11 new diagnoses of heart failure. Treatment with anakinra was associated with a hazard ratio of 1.08 (95% confidence interval 0.31 to 3.74, p = 0.90) for the combined end point of death, recurrent AMI, unstable angina pectoris, or stroke and a hazard ratio of 0.16 (95% confidence interval 0.03 to 0.76, p = 0.008) for death or heart failure. In conclusion, IL-1 blockade with anakinra for 2 weeks appears, therefore, to have a neutral effect on recurrent ischemic events, whereas it may prevent new-onset heart failure long term after STEMI.

Leukocyte activity in patients with ST-segment elevation acute myocardial infarction treated with anakinra.

Anakinra, the recombinant form of the human interleukin (IL)-1 receptor antagonist, blunts the acute systemic inflammatory response in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), by determining a fall in peripheral blood leukocyte and plasma C-reactive protein levels. The aim of the present study was to determine the effects of anakinra on the activity of leukocytes measured ex vivo. Blood was collected 72 h after admission in 17 patients enrolled in the Virginia Commonwealth University-Anakirna Remodeling Trial (2) (VCU-ART2) and randomly treated with anakinra (N=7) or placebo (N=10). Whole blood was cultured at 37°C for 24 h to measure spontaneous production of IL-6 or stimulated with Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide (LPS) for toll-like receptor (TLR)-4 or heat-killed Staphylococcus epidermidis (SE) for TLR-2 activation. The cultures of anakinra-treated patients produced significantly less IL-6 spontaneously (71 pg/mL [27-114]) compared with placebo-treated patients (290 pg/mL [211-617], p=0.005). LPS- or SE-induced IL-6 production, on the other hand, was not statistically different between anakinra-versus placebo-treated patients (344 pg/mL [94-560] versus 370 pg/mL [306-991], p=0.32 for LPS, and 484 pg/mL [77-612] versus 615 pg/mL [413-871], p=0.31 for SE, respectively). IL-1 blockade with anakinra in STEMI patients results in reduced spontaneous leukocyte activity ex vivo without impairing the responsiveness to bacterial stimuli.

Effects of interleukin-1 blockade with anakinra on aerobic exercise capacity in patients with heart failure and preserved ejection fraction (from the D-HART pilot study).

Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is a clinical syndrome of exercise intolerance due to impaired myocardial relaxation and/or increased stiffness. Patients with HFpEF often show signs of chronic systemic inflammation, and experimental studies have shown that interleukin-1 (IL-1), a key proinflammatory cytokine, impairs myocardial relaxation. The aim of the present study was to determine the effects of IL-1 blockade with anakinra on aerobic exercise capacity in patients with HFpEF and plasma C-reactive protein (CRP) >2 mg/L (reflecting increased IL-1 activity). A total of 12 patients were enrolled in a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, crossover trial and assigned 1:1 to receive 1 of the 2 treatments (anakinra 100 mg or placebo) for 14 days and an additional 14 days of the alternate treatment (placebo or anakinra). The cardiopulmonary exercise test was performed at baseline, after the first 14 days, and after the second 14 days of treatment. The placebo-corrected interval change in peak oxygen consumption was chosen as the primary end point. All 12 patients enrolled in the present study and receiving treatment completed both phases and experienced no major adverse events. Anakinra led to a statistically significant improvement in peak oxygen consumption (+1.2 ml/kg/min, p = 0.009) and a significant reduction in plasma CRP levels (-74%, p = 0.006). The reduction in CRP levels correlated with the improvement in peak oxygen consumption (R = -0.60, p = 0.002). Three patients (25%) had mild and self-limiting injection site reactions. In conclusion, IL-1 blockade with anakinra for 14 days significantly reduced the systemic inflammatory response and improved the aerobic exercise capacity of patients with HFpEF and elevated plasma CRP levels.

Effects of interleukin-1 blockade with anakinra on adverse cardiac remodeling and heart failure after acute myocardial infarction [from the Virginia Commonwealth University-Anakinra Remodeling Trial (2) (VCU-ART2) pilot study].

A first pilot study of interleukin-1 blockade in ST-segment elevation acute myocardial infarction showed improved remodeling. In the present second pilot study, we enrolled 30 patients with clinically stable ST-segment elevation acute myocardial infarction randomized to anakinra, recombinant interleukin-1 receptor antagonist, 100 mg/day for 14 days or placebo in a double-blind fashion. The primary end point was the difference in the interval change in left ventricular (LV) end-systolic volume index between the 2 groups within 10 to 14 weeks. The secondary end points included changes in the LV end-diastolic volume index, LV ejection fraction, and C-reactive protein levels. No significant changes in end-systolic volume index, LV end-diastolic volume index, or LV ejection fraction were seen in the placebo group. Compared to placebo, treatment with anakinra led to no measurable differences in these parameters. Anakinra significantly blunted the increase in C-reactive protein between admission and 72 hours (+0.8 mg/dl, interquartile range -6.4 to +4.2, vs +21.1 mg/dl, interquartile range +8.7 to +36.6, p = 0.002), which correlated with the changes in LV end-diastolic volume index and LV end-systolic volume index at 10 to 14 weeks (R = +0.83, p = 0.002, and R = +0.55, p = 0.077, respectively). One patient in the placebo group (7%) died. One patient (7%) in the anakinra group developed recurrent acute myocardial infarction. More patients were diagnosed with new-onset heart failure in the placebo group (4, 27%) than in the anakinra group (1, 7%; p = 0.13). When the data were pooled with those from the first Virginia Commonwealth University-Anakinra Remodeling Trial (n = 40), this difference reached statistical significance (30% vs 5%, p = 0.035). In conclusion, interleukin-1 blockade with anakinra blunted the acute inflammatory response associated with ST-segment elevation acute myocardial infarction. Although it failed to show a statistically significant effect on LV end-systolic volume index, LV end-diastolic volume index, or LV ejection fraction in this cohort of clinically stable patients with near-normal LV dimensions and function, anakinra led to a numerically lower incidence of heart failure.