Role of advanced oxidation protein products and Thiol ratio in patients with acute coronary syndromes.

Abstract Objectives To identify systemically detectable vascular inflammation associated to redox system unbalance, advanced oxidation protein products (AOPP), formed by HClO reaction with proteins, Thiol levels, and their ratio (AOPP/Thiol ratio) were measured in patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACS). Design and methods We evaluated AOPP/Thiol ratio together with CRP and IL-1β in 18 acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and in 16 unstable angina (UA) patients at admission, and in 16 control subjects (CTR); the measurements were repeated at 1 and at 6 months. Results At admission, AMI and UA patients displayed higher AOPP/Thiol ratio and CRP and IL-1β compared to CTR subjects. A correlation between AOPP/Thiols and IL-1β in AMI was found. At follow-up, in UA only, AOPP/Thiol ratio and IL-1β levels still remained high. Conclusions The AOPP/Thiol ratio seems to affect the inflammatory process in ACS, and may represent a reliable marker of oxidative unbalance in this setting of patients.