Inflammatory-immunological cellular reaction in intima of the aorta and pulmonary artery and development of atherosclerosis
Zhdanov, V.S.; Chumachenko, P.V.; Drobkova, I.P.
Kardiologiia 44(2): 40-44
2004
ISSN/ISBN: 0022-9040 PMID: 15029135 Document Number: 569917
To assess morphological manifestations of inflammation at initial stages of atherosclerosis development in intima of the aorta and pulmonary artery both in its intact (lipid free) zones and those with lipoidosis. Histological, histochemical and immune cytochemical methods with the use of monoclonal antibodies to monocytes/macrophages (CD-11) and T-lymphocytes (CD-4, CD-5, CD-8) were applied for the study of cellular elements in membranous preparations of intima and transverse cross-sections of the aorta and pulmonary artery from 64 apparently healthy persons aged 4 months-49 years who died of accidental causes. Signs of inflammatory cellular reaction (infiltration with monocytes/macrophages) were permanently present in aortic and pulmonary artery intima and progressed with age. This cellular reaction was consistently accompanied by infiltration of intima with mast cells. Compared with intact intima infiltration with lymphocytes/monocytes was more pronounced in zones with lipoidosis where helper-lymphocytes prevailed among T-cells and number of monocytes/macrophages was substantially increased. Mononuclear cellular infiltration with participation of mast cells was persistently present in aortic and pulmonary artery intima and obviously preceded its atherosclerotic changes. However there was no straightforward relationship between severity of this reaction and development of atherosclerosis in the aorta and especially in pulmonary artery.