Circulating soluble CTLA-4 is related to inflammatory markers in the 70 year old population

Abstract

Objective. Measurement of inflammatory mediators is an important tool to assess inflammation. We have, therefore, conducted a survey within the Prospective Investigation of the Vasculature in Uppsala Seniors (PIVUS) study to evaluate the inter-relationship between soluble CTLA-4 (sCTLA-4) and other inflammatory markers. Materials and Methods. This is a population-based study, designed to quantify the circulating serum levels of sCTLA-4 and other inflammatory markers such as CRP and pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines by in-house ELISA, Immuno-turbidimetry and multiplex ELISA, respectively. A total of 1016 Swedish Caucasians aged 70 years old were recruited. The statistical analysis was performed by ANOVA. Results. The levels of sCTLA-4 were directly related to the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as IL-6, IL-1α, IL-1β, TNF-α, IFN-γ and chemokines such as IL-8. However, the levels of sCTLA-4 were inversely related to the levels of MCP-1. Also, we could not demonstrate any relation between the levels of sCTLA-4 and CRP or soluble adhesion molecules. Conclusions. Circulating sCTLA-4 could be used as a biomarker for inflammation, potentially reflecting dysregulated T lymphocytes.

Key Words::

• Soluble CTLA-4
• pro-inflammatory cytokines
• chemokines
• vasculature and inflammation

Acknowledgements

This study was supported by grants from the European Commission, the Fifth Framework Program (No. QL61-CT-2001-01918), the Swedish Research Council (No.05646), the foundations of the Karolinska Institutet and the Palle Ferb foundation. We thank all the participants of the PIVUS study. Also, we thank group members of Anders Elmgren and Johannes Hulthe.

Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.