Vitamin E supplementation reduces plasma vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 and von Willebrand factor levels and increases nitric oxide concentrations in hypercholesterolemic patients.

Up-regulation of vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) and reduced nitric oxide (NO) availability represent early characteristics of atherosclerosis. To evaluate whether the antioxidant vitamin E affected the circulating levels of soluble VCAM-1 (sVCAM-1) and the plasma metabolite of NO (nitrite+nitrate) in hypercholesterolemic patients, either vitamin E (either 400 IU or 800 IU/d for 8 wk) or placebo were randomly, double-blindly given to 36 hypercholesterolemic patients and 22 age- and sex-matched controls. At baseline hypercholesterolemic patients showed higher plasma sVCAM-1 (microg.liter(-1)) (591.2 +/- 132.5 vs. 505.0 +/- 65.6, P < 0.007) and lower NO metabolite (microM) levels (15.9 +/- 3.4 vs. 29.2 +/- 5.1, P < 0.0001) than controls. In hypercholesterolemic patients, 8 wk vitamin E (but not placebo) treatment significantly decreased circulating sVCAM-1 levels (400 IU: -148.9 +/- 84.6, P < 0.009; 800 IU: -204.0 +/- 75.7, P < 0.0001; placebo: -4.7 +/- 22.6, NS), whereas it increased NO metabolite concentrations (400 IU: +4.0 +/- 1.7, P < 0.02; 800 IU: +5.5 +/- 0.8, P < 0.0001; placebo: +0.1 +/- 1.1, NS) without affecting circulating low- density lipoprotein levels. Changes in both plasma sVCAM-1 and NO metabolite levels showed a trend to significantly correlate (r = -0.515, P = 0.010; and r = 0.435, P = 0.034, respectively) with changes in vitamin E concentrations induced by vitamin E supplementation. In conclusion, isolated hypercholesterolemia both increased circulating sVCAM-1 and reduced NO metabolite concentrations. Vitamin E supplementation counteracts these alterations, thus representing a potential tool for endothelial protection in hypercholesterolemic patients.

Patterns of myocardial endothelin-1 expression and outcome after cardiac transplantation.

BACKGROUND: Endothelin-1 (ET-1), a potent vasoconstrictor, is released in response to several inflammatory cytokines after heart transplantation. The present study correlated patterns of myocardial ET-1 expression in heart biopsies with acute rejection, post-transplantation ischemic injury, and subsequent development of coronary vasculopathy. METHODS AND RESULTS: Patterns of myocardial ET-1 expression were evaluated in 47 heart transplant recipients at 3 months after transplant. Transplant vasculopathy was documented by coronary angiography at 2 years after transplant. Expression of ET-1 was tabulated for both blood vessels and the interstitium. Vascular ET-1 expression was positive in 7/17 (41%) of patients with greater than grade 2 (International Society Heart Lung Transplant) rejection compared with 3/30 (10%) of patients with grade 0 and grade 1A rejection (P=0.02). Compared with patients with negative interstitial ET-1 expression (n=22), patients with positive interstitial ET-1 expression (n=25) had higher incidence of post-transplantation ischemic injury (52% versus 9%, P=0.002), lower mean episodes of acute rejection (> or = grade 2) during the first 3 months of transplant (1.09+/-0.66 versus 1.86+/-1.6, P=0.048), and more common vasculopathy at 2 years (50% versus 15%, P=0.02), and they tended to have worse survival (83.2% versus 100%, P=0.058). CONCLUSIONS: Vascular ET-1 expression is likely to be associated with acute rejection. Interstitial ET-1 expression, however, is more likely to be associated with post-transplantation ischemic injury and subsequent development of coronary vasculopathy.