Abstract:
Objective To detect the plasma levels of NOD-like receptor family pyrin domain-containing protein 4 (NLRC4) and Interleukin-1β (IL-1β) in patients with Chronic Heart Failure (CHF), and explore the relationship between inflammatory response and occurrence and development of CHF.
Methods A total of 165 patients with CHF were selected as CHF group (including 45 patients in NYHA grade Ⅱ, 63 patients in grade Ⅲ and 57 patients in grade Ⅳ), and 35 healthy subjects in the same period were set as control group. The plasma levels of IL-1β and NLRC4 were detected by ELISA, and the protein expression levels of NLRC4 and IL-1β were detected by Western blotting. The correlations among NLRC4, IL-1β, NT-proBNP, left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), left ventricular end-diastolic diameter (LVEDD), and left ventricular end-diastolic volume (LVEDV) in CHF patients were analyzed, and the diagnostic value of NLRC4 and IL-1β in CHF patients were investiagted.
Results The NLRC4, IL-1β, NT-BNP, LVEDD and LVEDV levels in the CHF group were significantly higher than those in control group, and the LVEF was significantly lower than that in control group (P < 0.01). The results of Pearson correlation analysis showed that the NLRC4 and IL-1β levels in CHF patients were significantly positively correlated with NT-proBNP, LVEDD and LVEDV (P < 0.01), and significantly negatively correlated with LVEF (P < 0.01). The NLRC4 was positively correlated with IL-1β (P < 0.01). The results of ROC curve analysis showed that the AUC of NLRC4 and IL-1β for the diagnosis of CHF were 0.817 and 0.858, respectively. The results of Spearman correlation analysis showed that the expression levels of NLRC4 and IL-1β in CHF patients were positively correlated with the cardiac function grade, and showed a gradual increasing trend (P < 0.01). The results of Western blotting results showed that compared with the control group, the expressions of NLRC4 and IL-1β in cardiac function grade Ⅱ, Ⅲ and Ⅳ groups increased (P < 0.01). Compared with grade Ⅱ group, the expression levels of NLRC4 and IL-1β in cardiac function grade Ⅲ and Ⅳ groups increased (P < 0.01). Compared with garde Ⅲ group, the expression levels of NLRC4 and IL-1β in grade Ⅳ group increased (P < 0.01).
Conclusions The increasing of plasma levels of NLRC4 and IL-1β in patients with CHF is positively correlated with the severity of CHF, and the induced inflammatory response plays a certain role in the progressive development of CHF.