Inflammatory biomarkers and coronary heart disease: from bench to bedside and back

Inflammation plays a pivotal role in all stages of atherosclerosis from endothelial dysfunction and plaque formation to plaque destabilization and disruption. Inflammatory biomarkers, originally studied to better understand the pathophysiology of atherosclerosis, have generated increasing interest among clinicians, because of their utility in the challenging problems of diagnosis and risk assessment of patients with suspected or proved coronary heart disease. Moreover, in fascinating perspective, they could be used as therapeutic target, counteracting initiation, progression, and development of complications of atherosclerosis. In this review, we will provide an overview of the more promising inflammatory biomarkers, focusing on their utility and limitations in the clinical setting.