Transcriptional activity of tumor necrosis factor-alpha gene in peripheral blood mononuclear cells in patients with coronary slow flow

Background: coronary slow flow (csf),an angiographic phenomenon that is characterized by a delayed coronary blood flow in the absence of obstructive coronary artery stenosis,is known as a disorder of the coronary microcirculation. inflammation has an important role in the vascular hemostasis and endothelial dysfunction especially regarding monocyte adhesion and infiltration. pro-inflammatory cytokines released by inflammatory cells result in endothelial cell dysfunction and cardiovascular diseases. it has been demonstrated that tumor necrosis factor-alpha (tnf-α) mainly influences the vascular homeostasis and endothelial dysfunction. in the present enquiry the transcriptional activity of tnf-α gene in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (pbmcs) of patients with csf was compared with healthy controls in order to further survey the role of tnf-α in pathophysiology of csf. methods: the study was carried out on 30 patients with csf and 30 matched healthy controls. to analysis gene expression of tnf-α,total mrna was isolated from pbmcs. the quantitative real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qrt-pcr) was used to compare the transcriptional activity of tnf-α gene between patients with csf and controls. results: the mean ± standard error of mean of fold in csf patients and controls were 0.20 ± 0.04 and 1.38 ± 0.27,respectively. the mrna mean expressions of tnf-α (fold) were different in tested groups,which indicated a significant decrease in tnf-α in patients with csf group (p = 0.0001). conclusion: expression of tnf-α was decreased in patients with csf. changes in tnf-α expression suggest a potential role for altered immune function in the pathophysiology of csf. © 2017,isfahan university of medical sciences(iums). all rights reserved.