Relation between the plasma levels of LDL-cholesterol and the expression of the early marker of inflammation long pentraxin PTX3 and the stress response gene p66ShcA in pacemaker-implanted patients

Our goal was to set up a pilot study to explore the possible relation between the expression of p66((ShcA)) and PTX3, two emerging regulators of stress response and inflammation processes, respectively, and the circulating levels of LDL-cholesterol (LDL), a factor implicated in the development of inflammation and oxidative-stress associated diseases such as atherosclerosis. p66((ShcA)) and PTX3 mRNA contents were determined locally, in subcutaneous adipose specimens of non-diabetic pacemaker-implanted patients, and systemically in the circulating white blood cells (WBC) obtained from the same patients. The mean of the circulating LDL levels (125 mg/dl) was chosen as a threshold to identify two groups here considered to have high (>125 mg/dl) and low (