Effects of Percutaneous Coronary Intervention on Peripheral Venous Blood Circulating Endothelial Cells and Plasma Indices of Endothelial Damage/Dysfunction

BackgroundThe relationship between endothelial damage/dysfunction and coronary artery disease is well recognized. However, the effects of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) [stenting/angioplasty] on circulating markers of endothelial damage/dysfunction (eg, von Willebrand factor [vWF], soluble E-selectin [sEsel] levels, and more recently circulating endothelial cells [CECs]) has been less well defined.Aims and methodsWe investigated the effects of both diagnostic coronary angiography (CA) [n = 15; blood sampling immediately before CA and 15 min after CA] and PCI (n = 38; blood sampling before PCI, 15 min after PCI, and 24 h after PCI) on levels of CECs, vWF, and sEsel across comparable patient groups. We also included a cohort of comparable healthy control subjects in order to compare baseline levels of three endothelial markers.ResultsThere were no differences in baseline levels of CECs, vWF, or sEsel between the three study groups (healthy control subjects, CA, PCI; all p = not significant). Following CA (before to 15 min after), there were no significant changes in vWF and CECs (p = not significant). Following PCI, there were significant increases observed at 15 min after PCI and at 24 h after PCI (when compared with pre-PCI levels) in CECs (p = 0.0006), vWF (p = 0.007), and sEsel (p = 0.024).ConclusionWe observed significant increases in three endothelial markers (CECs, vWF, and sEsel) with elective PCI but not CA. This is in keeping with endothelial damage/dysfunction following PCI.