The presence of E-selectin in the myocardium indicates a sustained inflammatory reaction in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy.

BACKGROUND

It is still uncertain whether de-novo expression of E-selectin in endothelial cells may be considered an additional marker of chronic inflammation in heart failure (HF).

METHODS

We studied 393 consecutive patients (313 M, 80 F) with HF secondary to dilated cardiomyopathy in whom the right ventricular endomyocardial biopsy was performed. For immunohistochemistry, HLA class I and II, E-selectin (ELAM-1), CD3 + lymphocytes and CD68 + macrophages were studied. Patients were divided into two groups: Group A, with ELAM-1 (+), and Group B with ELAM-1 (-) in the biopsy sections.

RESULTS

Of all patients, 140 (35.6%) subjects were presented with ELAM-1 expression in endomyocardial biopsies. Patients in the Group A had a significantly lower LV ejection fraction compared to those from the Group B (31.3 ± 12.9 vs. 34.2 ± 12.7; 95% CI, 0.3-5.6, P = 0.029) and they showed a higher mean number of CD3 (+) lymphocytes in the biopsy sections, P = 0.006. In addition, ELAM-1 reasonably correlated with CD3 lymphocytes (r = 0.3, P < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings suggest that de-novo ELAM-1 expression in endothelial cells may be a useful marker of chronic inflammation in the biopsies of patients with HF secondary to dilated cardiomyopathy.