Antiinflammatory Therapy with Canakinumab for Atherosclerotic Disease

Background: Experimental and clinical data suggest that reducing inflammation without affecting lipid levels may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Yet, the inflammatory hypothesis of atherothrombosis has remained unproved. Methods: We conducted a randomized, double-blind trial of canakinumab, a therapeutic monoclonal antibody targeting interleukin-1β, involving 10,061 patients with previous myocardial infarction and a high-sensitivity C-reactive protein level of 2 mg or more per liter. The trial compared three doses of canakinumab (50 mg, 150 mg, and 300 mg, administered subcutaneously every 3 months) with placebo. The primary efficacy end point was nonfatal myocardial infarction, nonfatal stroke, or cardiovascular death. RESULTS: At 48 months, the median reduction from baseline in the high-sensitivity C-reactive protein level was 26 percentage points greater in the group that received the 50-mg dose of canakinumab, 37 percentage points greater in the 150-mg group, and 41 percentage points greater in the 300-mg group than in the placebo group. Canakinumab did not reduce lipid levels from baseline. At a median follow-up of 3.7 years, the incidence rate for the primary end point was 4.50 events per 100 person-years in the placebo group, 4.11 events per 100 person-years in the 50-mg group, 3.86 events per 100 person-years in the 150-mg group, and 3.90 events per 100 person-years in the 300-mg group. The hazard ratios as compared with placebo were as follows: in the 50-mg group, 0.93 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.80 to 1.07; P = 0.30); in the 150-mg group, 0.85 (95% CI, 0.74 to 0.98; P = 0.021); and in the 300-mg group, 0.86 (95% CI, 0.75 to 0.99; P = 0.031). The 150-mg dose, but not the other doses, met the prespecified multiplicity-adjusted threshold for statistical significance for the primary end point and the secondary end point that additionally included hospitalization for unstable angina that led to urgent revascularization (hazard ratio vs. placebo, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.73 to 0.95; P = 0.005). Canakinumab was associated with a higher incidence of fatal infection than was placebo. There was no significant difference in all-cause mortality (hazard ratio for all canakinumab doses vs. placebo, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.83 to 1.06; P = 0.31). Conclusions: Antiinflammatory therapy targeting the interleukin-1β innate immunity pathway with canakinumab at a dose of 150 mg every 3 months led to a significantly lower rate of recurrent cardiovascular events than placebo, independent of lipid-level lowering. (Funded by Novartis; CANTOS ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01327846.

Субпопуляции моноцитов крови у больных с генерализованной гипоксией

The aim of the work is to establish general regularities and features of differentiation of blood monocytes into 4 subpopulations in diseases associated with circulatory and respiratory hypoxia.Materials and methods. 18 patients with ischemic heart disease (IHD), 12 patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy (ICMP), 14 patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), 15 patients with newly diagnosed infiltrative pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) and 12 healthy donors were examined. In whole blood, we determined the relative number of different subpopulations of monocytes by flow cytometry. The results were analyzed by statistical methods.Results. It is shown that an increase in the number of classical (80.56 [77.60; 83.55]%) and the deficit of intermediate (10.38 [9.36; 11.26]%), non-classical (6.03 [5.24; 6.77]%) and transitional (2.14 [1.41; 3.92] %) monocytes in the blood is determined in patients with COPD when compared with the group of healthy donors (p < 0.05). In groups of patients with PTB and IHD, an increase in the number of intermediate monocytes (26.24 respectively [22.38; 42.88] % and 25.27 [15.78; 31.39]%) and the lack of transitional cells (1.77 [1.36; 3.74]% and 2.68 [2.63; 4.0]%) at the normal content of classical and non-classical forms of monocytes (p < 0.05) is detected. In patients with ICMP, a decrease in the number of non-classical monocytes (up to 5.05 [4.08; 6.58]%) is combined with the normal cell content of other subpopulations (p < 0.05). The interrelation between the number of classical and intermediate monocytes in patients with COPD (r = –0.63; p < 0.05), PTB (r = –0.72; p < 0.01), IHD (r = –0.59; p < 0.05), ICMP (r = –0.58; p < 0.05) was established.Conclusion. In COPD associated with generalized hypoxia, an increase in the number of classical monocytes is combined with a deficiency of their other subpopulations in the blood. In PTB and IHD, antigenic stimulation of the immune system mediates accelerated differentiation of monocytes from classical to intermediate forms with a decrease in the number of transitional cells regardless of the etiology of the disease (infectious or non-infectious) and the type of hypoxia (respiratory or circulatory).Цель работы – установить общие закономерности и особенности дифференцировки моноцитов крови на четыре субпопуляции (классические (CD14hiCD16-), промежуточные (CD14hiCD16lo), неклассические (CD14loCD16lo) и переходные (CD14loCD16-)) при заболеваниях, ассоциированных с циркуляторной и дыхательной гипоксией.Материалы и методы. Обследованы 18 больных ишемической болезнью сердца (ИБС), 12 больных ишемической кардиомиопатией (ИКМП), 14 больных с хронической обструктивной болезнью легких (ХОБЛ), 15 больных с впервые выявленным инфильтративным туберкулезом легких (ТБЛ) и 12 здоровых доноров. В цельной крови определяли относительное количество различных субпопуляций моноцитов методом проточной цитометрии. Полученные результаты анализировали статистическими методами.Результаты. Показано, что у больных ХОБЛ определяется увеличение доли классических (80,56 [77,60; 83,55]%) и дефицит промежуточных (10,38 [9,36; 11,26]%), неклассических (6,03 [5,24; 6,77]%) и переходных (2,14 [1,41; 3,92]%) моноцитов в крови по сравнению с группой здоровых доноров (р < 0,05). В группах больных с ТБЛ и ИБС обнаруживается повышение количества промежуточных моноцитов (соответственно 26,24 [22,38; 42,88]% и 25,27 [15,78; 31,39]%) на фоне дефицита переходных клеток (1,77 [1,36; 3,74]% и 2,68 [2,63; 4,0]%) при нормальном содержании классических и неклассических форм моноцитов (р < 0,05). У больных ИКМП снижение численности неклассических моноцитов (до 5,05 [4,08; 6,58]%) сочетается с нормальным содержанием клеток остальных субпопуляций (р < 0,05). Установлена взаимосвязь между численностью классических и промежуточных моноцитов у больных ХОБЛ (r = –0,63; p < 0,05), ТБЛ (r = –0,72; p < 0,01), ИБС (r = –0,59; p < 0,05), ИКМП (r = –0,58; p < 0,05).Заключение. При ХОБЛ, ассоциированной с генерализованной гипоксией, увеличение числа классических моноцитов сочетается с дефицитом остальных их субпопуляций в крови. При ТБЛ и ИБС антигенная стимуляция иммунной системы опосредует ускоренную дифференцировку моноцитов из классических в промежуточные формы при снижении числа переходных клеток вне зависимости от этиологии заболевания (инфекционная или неинфекционная) и вида гипоксии (дыхательная или циркуляторная)