Abstract

Background

Microparticles (MP) are a nuclear fragments of membrane released by the damaged cell
during stress. Elevated levels of MP have been found in patients with acute coronary
syndrome (ACS) owing to the damage in the endothelium.
Aim

To determine if the levels of endothelial and platelet microparticles (EMP & PMP) in
patients with ACS influenced the severity of the disease.
Materials and Methods

This was a prospective cohort study performed in 63 ACS patients (ST elevation
myocardial infarction- STEMI-28, non ST elevation myocardial infarction -NSTEMI-35).
After obtaining consent, blood samples were collected from the patients and processed by
flow cytometry.
Results

The NSTEMI group had higher levels of EMP {792.11(327.59-1661.49) vs 300.35 (176.3550.46), p=0.001} and PMP {218.87(86.65-439.77) vs 114.45(50.34-196.75), p= 0.007} as
compared to the STEMI group. However, it was found that the EMP (r=-0.438, p=0.001)
and PMP (r= -0.316, p=0.024) negatively correlated with Global Registry of Acute
Coronary Events score (GRACE in-hospital score) for the entire cohort.
Conclusion

The levels of microparticles are elevated in ACS patients and may reflect a protective effect
in patients with acute coronary syndrome.
Keywords: Endothelial microparticles, GRACE Score, Myocardial infarction, Platelet
microparticles

Introduction

According to the World Health Organization (WHO) 7.4million deaths were attributed to
ischemic heart diseases and it was on the top for WHOs 10 leading causes of death [1].
Even among developing nations like India, Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is one of the top
5 causes of death. In the Indian subcontinent, more than 25% of deaths can be attributed to
cardiovascular diseases [2]. It has been estimated that in the next 15 years, India would
have the maximum number of patients with cardiovascular ailments [3]. Acute coronary
syndrome (ACS) is characterized by occlusion of the coronary arteries and comprises of ST
Elevation Myocardial Infarction(STEMI), Non ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction
(NSTEMI), or Unstable Angina (UA). According to the American Heart Association, every
year 2.5 million people are hospitalized for ACS out of which approximately 18% of
women and 23% of men above the age of 40 years die within a year of being diagnosed as
Myocardial Infarction(MI) [4]. MI is caused due to the formation and rupture of unstable
atherosclerotic plaques. These plaques are formed by the adhesion and migration of lipids,
and inflammatory cells to the inner layer/tunica intima of the arterial walls, chiefly aided by
endothelial dysfunction. This unchecked inflammatory build-up of plaque not only narrows
down the arterial lumen and occludes blood flow but also leads to MI in case of plaque
rupture and thrombosis [5].
Endothelial dysfunction can lead to loss of endothelial mono layers anticoagulant,
antiplatelet and fibrinolytic properties. During endothelial dysfunction, considerable cell
damage occurs due to apoptosis. A nuclear fragment of membrane is released by the
stressed/damaged cell which are termed as microparticles. It comprises of cytoplasmic
material from their cell of origin and cell surface proteins. These MPs range from 0.11.0m and can be traced back to their origin using the surface proteins. They contain
phospholipids and membrane from the cell they originated, enabling differentiation
between them partly. Based on the surface adhesion molecules they can be classified into:
platelet microparticles or PMP (CD41a, CD42b, CD62P), endothelial microparticles or
EMP (CD144, CD62E, or CD31), leukocyte microparticles (CD45, CD4, CD8, CD14) and
erythrocyte microparticles (CD235a) [6]. They perform a plethora of activities such as
facilitating intercellular interactions, inducing cell signaling, and transferring receptors
between different cell types [7]. Endothelial repair is brought about by Endothelial
Progenitor Cells (EPC). This is influenced by the levels of EMPs and PMPs along with
Circulating Endothelial Cells (CEC) as they impair the activity of EPC.
Recent evidence suggests that elevated levels of microparticles are found in ACS patients
owing to the damage in the endothelium [8]. EMP (CD31) and PMP (CD31 CD42b) are
known to be elevated in patients with ACS. In a study done by Sinning et al., it was seen
that elevated levels of CD31+/Annexin V + were associated with a higher risk in Major
Adverse Cardiac Events (MACE) in patients with stable Coronary Artery Disease (CAD)
[9]. According to a study done by Nozaki et al., it can be said that high levels of circulating

MPs can be used as a predictor for cardiovascular death in patients with ACS [10]. Piccin et
al., have reported elevated levels of PMP (CD42b) in patients with ACS [11]. In a study
done by Zee et al., they found elevated levels of PMP in both STEMI and NSTEMI [12].
Similar findings were observed in a study done by Biasucci et al., [13].
Estimation of the levels of these MPs would help assess the extent of damage and the
degree of endothelial repair that has occurred. The objective of this study was to compare
the levels of EMPs and platelet PMPs between the ST-Elevation Acute Coronary Syndrome
or ST-ACS and NonST-Elevation Acute Coronary Syndrome or non ST-ACS (includes
NSTEMI and UA) groups and to see if these microparticles correlated with disease severity.
Materials and Methods
The study protocol was approved by the SRM Hospital Ethics Committee, Kattankulathur,
TN, India. Consecutive patients with a diagnosis of ACS as confirmed by appropriate
changes in ECG and cardiac biomarkers, above 18 years of age, either gender, and
willingness to give written informed consent were included in the study, between January
2014 to April 2014 in the Department of Cardiology. We excluded patients presenting with
ACS symptoms 48 hours after arrival to the hospital. Blood samples were collected from
each patient, and analysed for EMP and PMP using flow cytometry by following the
protocol given below. In addition to patients, we also measured EMP and PMP in 6 healthy
volunteers for comparison. Healthy volunteers were recruited from the hospital staff who
were willing to participate.
Quantification of MPs was carried out on blood samples obtained from subjects as per
previously reported method with modifications to the protocol [14]. Briefly, 2ml blood
samples were drawn into Ethylene Diamine Tetra Acetic Acid (EDTA) containing
vacutainers from the study subjects. The blood sample was collected within 24 hours of
hospital admission. The blood sample obtained was immediately centrifuged for 10min at
1500g to obtain Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP). PRP was further centrifuged for 10min at
13000g to obtain Platelet Poor Plasma (PPP). PPP was labeled with appropriate
fluorophores and used for further downstream Fluorescence Activated Cell Sorting (FACS)
analysis. A 30 l of the PPP was incubated with 4l of Platelet Endothelial Cell Adhesion
Molecule (PECAM-1) /anti-CD-31-PE and anti-CD-42b- Fluorescein isothiocyanate /antiCD-42b-FITC each. The sample was further diluted with 750 l of Phosphate Buffered
Saline (PBS). A known concentration of 1 micron and 2 Micron Microsphere (MS) were
added to each of the samples to serve as internal standards as well as to aid in calculating
the absolute MP numbers. Samples were then analysed using BD FACS caliber and the data
analysed using Cellquest software. MPs smaller than 1 m and double positive for both
CD31 and CD42 were defined as PMPs while MPs of size < 1m but only positive for

CD31 were defined as EMPs. Absolute MP (Amp) numbers for individual samples were
calculated using the formula and used for comparison between samples.

To assess the severity of the angiographic lesions of the study subjects, a modified Gensini
score for each patient was calculated according to the method mentioned in the study done
by Vlietstra et al., [15]. The GRACE score and TIMI risk score were also calculated for all
the patients to determine the risk levels with respect to MPs. These risk scores were
calculated using web based risk score calculators [1618]. All patients were treated as per
standard hospital treatment guidelines.
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Statistical Analysis
Data were expressed as meanSD or median with the inter-quartile range. The patients
were classified into two groups based on ST changes in ECG as ST-ACS and non-ST ACS.
The baseline characteristics of the patients in these two groups were compared using
students t-test or Pearsons chi-square test. Q-Q plot was used to assess normality of data.
Mann-Whitney Test was done to compare the MP levels between the two groups. MP
number was logarithmically transformed and Pearson correlation was done to assess its
association with risk factors such as age, creatinine, left ventricular ejection fraction
(LVEF) and GRACE score. The Gensini score was compared with the levels of
microparticles to assess the severity of the lesions with respect to the MPs. Statistical
analysis was done using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS v17.0)
software.
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Results
A total of 63 ACS patients participated in the current study and were further divided into 2
subgroups based on the type of ACS; ST-ACS (n=28) and non-ST ACS (n=35). [Table/Fig1] shows the baseline data for the 2 ACS sub groups. The most striking difference between
the 2 sub-groups was the lower mean LVEF in ST-ACS {46.63% vs. 55.73%, (p=0.001)}.
The data also indicated an increased incidence of ST-ACS in males (p=0.05), smokers
(p=0.05) and patients with higher blood sugar levels (p=0.01). There was no significant
difference between the groups in other characteristics such as age, body mass index (BMI),
diabetes mellitus (DM), hypertension (HTN), lipid profile, renal dysfunction and history of
ACS. The median EMP for the ACS patients was found to be 440.87 (220.08-1264.92)
while that in the healthy volunteers was found to be 243.51 (176.18-485.64). The median

PMP levels in ACS patients of our study was found to be 268.49 (60.94-287.11) while that
in the healthy volunteers was found to be 63.34 (34.67-93.91).
Discussion
To the best of our knowledge this is the first study done in Indian patients that has
estimated the levels of EMPs and PMPs in patients with ACS. In our study we compared
the levels of EMP and PMP between ST-ACS and non-ST ACS. The EMP level for the nonST ACS cohort was found to be higher as compared to the ST-ACS cohort. The same trend
was followed by PMPs as well. In contrast the study by Biasucci et al., in Italian population
did not show any difference between STEMI and NSTEMI. However, they observed that
patients with ACS had higher MP than In line number 15 SA is mentioned for the first time
so expansion for SA i.e. stable angina should be mentioned there and not directly in line
number 17 where it is mentioned for the second time for better understanding. In another
study done by Cui et al., they found significant differences in the levels of EMP amongst
stable angina (SA), myocardial infarction (MI), UA and control. The same trend was
followed by PMPs as well. However, they did not find any difference between MI and UA
or between SA and control for both EMP and PMP [19]. In a study done by Mallat et al.,
with ACS patients, they did not find any difference between MI and UA patients as far as
EMP levels were concerned. However the levels of procoagulant MPs were higher in the
ACS cohort as compared to controls and stable angina [8]. Based on these earlier reports, it
appears that these MPs are released in the setting of ACS and come down to normal levels
once the disease is stabilized. Although other studies did not show any difference between
ST-ACS and non- ST-ACS, the low EMP/PMP in ST-ACS group could argue for its
protective role in coronary artery disease. It is not known if deficiency of microparticles
could contribute to the aetiopathology of ST-ACS.
The GRACE score is a reliable tool to stratify patients with acute coronary syndrome and
predict in-hospital and 6-month mortality in these patients. In our study we found that
GRACE score (in-hospital) correlated inversely with levels of EMP and PMP. The same
was observed for GRACE score (6months) and TIMI score with respect to EMPs. This
could perhaps reflect the protective role offered by MPs in coronary artery disease since the
level of MPs is maximal in individuals with low GRACE score. This could imply that, the
levels of MPs are inversely proportional to the GRACE and TIMI score, again emphasizing
the protagonistic role of the MPs. MPs help in intracellular communication and protect the
cell from stress. They are rich in phospholipids, chemotherapeutic substances and caspase
3. This caspase 3 containing MPs are periodically released out, but when this flushing out is
inhibited, it leads to abnormally elevated levels of caspase 3 [20]. In such a state, the MPs
have an automechanism to prevent accumulation of caspase 3, reiterating the protective role
of MPs.

In our study, we found that EMP as well as PMP showed direct correlation with ejection
fraction. This could suggest that EMPs and PMPs are abundant in patients with preserved
EF, its levels diminish as the LV function worsens. It is not known as to why MPs decrease
in patients with LV dysfunction. In a study done by Kuliczkowski et al., they found
elevated levels of EPCs and EMP in MI patients who had preserved EF post Percutaneous
Transluminal Coronary Angioplasty/PTCA [21]. All the sample collection in our study was
done prior to PCI. In a study done by Bal et al., they found that PMPs did not show any
correlation with EF [22].
Though microparticles can be used as an effective tool for detection of endothelial
dysfunction, there are considerable challenges involved in their estimation. They have a
diverse size range and it is hard to develop an assay which would easily detect them with
high sensitivity and specificity. They are also eliminated from the system rapidly, making
their detection even more difficult.
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Limitation
The main limitation of our study was the small sample size. The small sample size
precluded us from obtaining sufficient number of cardiovascular events to correlate MPs
concentration with cardiovascular outcomes. As the study was cross sectional in nature, the
finding of a protective role of micro particles should only be considered hypothesis
generating and requires rigorous scrutiny using prospective study designs. Undoubtedly
these findings need to be replicated in larger populations to understand the exact pathogenic
role of microparticles in acute coronary syndrome.
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Conclusion
Microparticles are elevated in patients with ACS and they are found to correlate inversely
with the GRACE and TIMI score and this could suggest a protective role of microparticles
in coronary artery disease.