Distinctive Under-Expression Profile of Inflammatory and Redox Genes in the Blood of Elderly Patients with Cardiovascular Disease

Abstract

Purpose Chronic low-grade inflammation and oxidative stress are present in most of the pathologic mechanisms underlying non-communicable diseases. Inflammation and redox biomarkers might therefore have a value in disease prognosis and therapy response. In this context, we performed a case–control study for assessing in whole blood the expression profile of inflammation and redox-related genes in elderly subjects with various comorbidities. Patients and Methods In the blood of 130 elderly subjects with various pathologies (cardiovascular disease, hypertension, dyslipidemia including hypercholesterolemia, type 2 diabetes mellitus), kept under control by polyvalent disease-specific medication, we investigated by pathway-focused qRT-PCR a panel comprising 84 inflammation-related and 84 redox-related genes. Results The study highlights a distinctive expression profile of genes critically involved in NF-κB-mediated inflammation and redox signaling in the blood of patients with cardiovascular disease, characterized by significant down-regulation of the genes NFKB2, NFKBIA, RELA, RELB, AKT1, IRF1, STAT1, CD40, LTA, TRAF2, PTGS1, ALOX12, DUOX1, DUOX2, MPO, GSR, TXNRD2, HSPA1A, MSRA, and PDLIM1 . This gene expression profile defines the transcriptional status of blood leukocytes in stable disease under medication control, without discriminating between disease- and therapy-related changes. Conclusion The study brings preliminary proof on a minimally invasive strategy for monitoring disease in patients with cardiovascular pathology, from the point of view of inflammation or redox dysregulation in whole blood.

Network analysis of the left anterior descending coronary arteries in swim-trained rats by an in situ video microscopic technique

“…Oxidative stress reflects the imbalance between reactive oxygen radical production and adequate antioxidant protection. This is an unfavorable condition that can lead to cell and tissue damage and plays a role in aging; inflammatory processes; the development, initiation, and progression of cardiovascular, neurodegenerative, and cancerous lesions [ 26 , 27 ]. The relationship between exercise and oxidative stress is extremely complex, depending on the type, intensity and length of the workout [ 28 , 29 ].…”

Whole Blood Expression Pattern of Inflammation and Redox Genes in Mild Alzheimer’s Disease

“…The expression level of each gene was normalized with the geometric mean of HPRT1 and RPLP0 , and 2 −ΔCT mean values as well as and the fold change (FC) were calculated as previously described. 32 …”

Reduced Blood RGS2 Expression in Mild Cognitive Impairment Patients

“…The assay used for RGS2 was designed on NM_002923. RGS2 expression levels were normalized on the geometric mean of two housekeeping gene transcripts, HPRT1 (NM_000194) and RPLP0 (NM_001002), whose stability in whole blood has been previously assessed (Milanesi et al, 2021 ), and the statistical analysis was performed on 2 −ΔCt values ( Supplementary Table ). The study was approved by the local ethics committees (Hospital Arnau de Vilanova de Lleida, Lleida, Spain—CE 1218 and Hospital Clinico San Carlos—19/141), and all the participants and/or their caregivers provided written informed consent.…”