Abstract:
Monocyte activation is an important fact in an inflammatory event such as arteriosclerosis. Studies carried out in recent years have been able to prove that hypothermia has an anti-inflammatory effect. The publication of two multicentric studies in 2002 thus led to hypothermia therapy being included in the guidelines relating to patients who have been resuscitated after a myocardial infarction. In neurosurgery and cardiosurgery as well, improving the neurological outcome is an important cornerstone for the use of a hypothermia therapy. The use of mild therapeutic hypothermia resulted in significantly fewer reinfarctions than did normothermic therapy. The reduced enzyme secretions and expression reductions of surface markers brought about by the hypothermia give rise to an anti-inflammatory situation. A cooling method – be it an extracorporeal or an intracorporeal method – confronts the organism with a non-physiological surface. The surface of the catheters and tubes activates the coagulation cascade and contributes to thrombus formation. After resuscitation, patients often undergo an intracorporeal cooling procedure (e.g.CoolGard®). In addition to coronary angiography, a cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) operation is another method of intervention used on patients with coronary heart disease. The heart-lung machine used here also leads to blood coming into contact with a non-physiological surface. Furthermore, the CPB operation is carried out under hypothermic conditions. Many studies in recent years have investigated the issue of thrombocyte activation in hypothermia. The aim of this study was to investigate the cardioprotective effect of hypothermia therapy, paying particular attention to the activation of the monocytes. Since many high-risk patients are treated with a GPIIb/IIIa receptor antagonist, this fact was taken into account and the monocyte activation under the influence of the drugs Tirofiban and Eptifibatid was measured.
METHOD
Flow cytophotometry was used to investigate the expression of the adhesion receptors of the monocytes with deep (18°C) and mild (28°C) hypothermia and normothermia (36°C). The study drugs chosen to represent the GPIIb/IIIa antagonists were Tirofiban and Eptifibatid. We used a modified Chandler-loop model to simulate the blood flow through a heart-lung machine (HLM) (LOOP) and compared this with a static model (STASE). The antibodies investigated were CD11b, CD54 and CD162, which indicate the activation of the monocytes in a particular way.
RESULT
Firstly, we were able to show that the expression of the monocyte adhesion molecules CD11b and CD162 reduces as the temperature falls, which confirms the use of therapeutic hypothermia in routine hospital treatments. The use of deep and mild hypothermia allows an anti-inflammatory effect to be produced which leads to the reduction of the arteriosclerotic inflammatory circulation. Secondly, we were able to show that the expression of the monocyte adhesion molecule CD11b increases with stimulation in the extracorporeal blood flow (LOOP). This fact indicates the contact between the patient’s blood and the foreign surfaces should be kept to a minimum. Thirdly, it was possible to show that the drugs had no significant effect on the expression of adhesion molecules on monocytes, neither in respect of the temperature nor in respect of how the blood is treated (LOOP or STASE). The GPIIb/IIIa inhibitors Eptifibatid and Tirofiban can therefore be used without adverse effect on the expression of adhesion molecules on monocytes under hypothermic or normothermic conditions or when using a HLM.