Plasma levels of soluble cellular adhesion molecules in patients with arterial hypertension. Correlations with plasma endothelin-1.

Abstract Background: Several reports have shown that circulating, soluble cellular adhesion molecules and endothelin-1 (ET-1) are implicated in the pathophysiological events of atherosclerosis and may reflect the endothelial dysfunction characterizing this disorder. Methods: To evaluate the expression of these factors in arterial hypertension (AH), we measured plasma levels of soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (sICAM-1), soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (sVCAM-1), soluble P-selectin (sP-selectin), and ET-1 in 60 untreated patients with mild to moderate AH (hypercholesterolemic: n =31, normocholesterolemic: n =29) and 30 sex- and age-matched normocholesterolemic normotensive controls. Results: Hypertensive patients exhibited significantly higher levels of sICAM-1 (234±21 vs. 187±12 ng/ml, P P P P P P P r =0.51, P r =0.64, P r =0.53, P r =0.41, P Conclusions: Plasma levels of soluble cellular adhesion molecules are elevated in hypertensive patients in comparison to normotensive controls and may be related to plasma ET-1 activity. The coexistence of hypercholesterolemia may enhance the plasma soluble adhesion molecule activity induced by AH.