Regulation of EMMPRIN (CD147) on monocyte subsets in patients with symptomatic coronary artery disease

Abstract Introduction The role of individual monocyte subsets in inflammatory cardiovascular diseases is insufficiently understood. Although the Extracellular Matrix Metalloproteinase Inducer (EMMPRIN) regulates important processes for inflammation such as MMP-release, its expression and regulation on monocyte subsets has not been characterized. Materials and Methods In this clinical study, blood was obtained from 80 patients with stable coronary artery disease (CAD), 49 with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and 34 healthy controls. Monocytes were divided into 3 subsets: CD14 ++ CD16 - (low), CD14 ++ CD16 + (intermediate), CD14 + CD16 ++ (high) according to phenotypic markers analyzed by flow cytometry. Surface expression of EMMPRIN was evaluated and compared with CD36 and CD47 expression. Results In all patients, EMMPRIN expression was significantly different among monocyte subsets with the highest expression on “classical” CD14 ++ CD16 - monocytes. EMMPRIN was upregulated on all monocyte subsets in patients with AMI as compared to patients with stable CAD. Notably, neither CD47 nor CD36 revealed a significant difference in patients with AMI compared to patients with stable CAD. Conclusion EMMPRIN could serve as a marker for classical monocytes, which is upregulated in patients with acute myocardial infarction.