Expression of tenascin C in cardiovascular lesions of Kawasaki disease

Abstract Background/Objective To examine tenascin C (TN-C) expression in coronary artery lesions (CALs) and myocardial lesions (MLs) in Kawasaki disease (KD). Methods and Results Twenty-five KD autopsy cases (post-KD-onset range of 6 days to 17 years) were examined in this study. Time-course analysis based on the disease day was performed of the histological findings for the CALs and MLs, as well as the localization and intensity of expression of TN-C. TN-C expression was observed to coincide with the areas where inflammatory cell infiltration was present in both coronary arteries and myocardium during the acute stage of KD, and the intensity of its expression correlated with the degree of inflammation. Obvious TN-C expression persisted in the thickened intima and media of CALs even after Disease Day 27. However, in spite of the presence of inflammatory cell infiltration, TN-C expression became weaker in the adventitia and surrounding connective tissue. After 8 months or more, TN-C was not expressed in the vasculitis scars of most cases, but expression was observed around newly formed vessels in the thickened intima and around recanalized vessels after thrombotic occlusion. Conclusions The findings suggest a correlation between the degree of inflammation and TN-C expression in the cardiovascular lesions of acute–stage Kawasaki disease.