Cytokines profile in serum of homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia is changed by LDL-apheresis

Objective: The effects of LDL-apheresis (LDLa) with dextran sulphate on plasma cytokines in 6 homozygous familial hypercholesterolemic (HozFH) patients, were evaluated. Methods: Plasma IL-1α; IL-1ra; IL-4; IL-6; IL-10; IL-12(p40); IL-12(p70); TNF-α, sTNF-R, VEGF, VEGF-R1, E-Selectin (ESEL), and P-Selectin (PSEL) concentrations were measured before and after LDLa on three consecutive sessions for each patient. Results: TNF-α was significantly reduced (-60%; P= 0.01), while TNF-R was only slightly increased (+15%), although not significantly. Plasma VEGF was significantly reduced (-57%; P= 1.87301. E-05), while VEGF-R1 was significantly increased (+56%; P= 0.05). ESEL and PSEL were reduced but not to a statistically significant extent (-19%, -15%, respectively). IL-1α level was dramatically reduced (-87%; P= 0.0001). IL-1ra concentration was only slightly increased in plasma, but not significantly. IL-4 and IL-10 levels were significantly reduced in plasma after apheresis (-50%; P= 0.03, and -55%; P= 0.004, respectively). On the contrary, IL-6 concentration showed a slight decrease (-8%). Plasma IL-12p40 was significantly increased (+47%; P= 0.0004). On the other hand, IL-12p70 was reduced, but the difference (-31%) was not statistically significant. Conclusions: Plasma cytokines imbalance is associated with inflammation and atherogenesis. In this study LDLa changed several circulating cytokines inducing anti-inflammatory and anti-atherogenic changes in cytokines plasma profile in HozFH patients with/without pre-existing angiographically demonstrated coronary heart disease (CHD) and aortic valvular disease (AVD). © 2011 Elsevier Ltd.