ORIGINAL ARTICLE  MISCELLANEOUS Free access

International Angiology 2020 June;39(3):252-60

DOI: 10.23736/S0392-9590.19.04261-5

Copyright © 2019 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

lingua: Inglese

Increased microparticle levels in middle-aged and elderly patients with insomnia may be involved in the pathogenesis of arteriosclerosis

Bin XU ^{1, 2}, Li MA ^{1, 3}, Ning ZHANG ⁴, Wei GUO ², Li-Ming LUO ⁵, Chen WANG ¹, Yue JIANG ³, Li-Ge LIU ^{1, 6} ✉

¹ Department of General Practice, School of General Practice and Continuing Education, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China; ² Department of Emergency, Beijing TianTan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China; ³ Department of General Practice, Beijing TianTan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China; ⁴ Department of Internal Medicine-Neurology, Beijing TianTan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China; ⁵ Puhuangyu Community Service Center, Fengtai District, Beijing, China; ⁶ Department of Internal Medicine, Health Care Center, Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China

BACKGROUND: Insomnia may affect vascular factors and promote arteriosclerosis. Microparticles (MPs) are a heterogeneous group of bioactive small vesicles that can be found in blood and body fluids following activation, necrosis or apoptosis of virtually any eukaryotic cells. MPs are believed to participate in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. Few studies have been concerned with the microparticle level in patients with sleep disorder. The purpose of the present study is to measure the levels of endothelial microparticles (EMPs), platelet microparticles (PMPs) and leukocyte-derived microparticles (LMPs) in middle-aged and elderly patients with or without insomnia.
METHODS: Patients with insomnia (N.=30) and without insomnia (N.=18) were enrolled. The insomnia group covered patients with chronic insomnia (N.=16) and acute insomnia (N.=14). Levels of EMPs (CD31 +, CD62E +) and PMPs (CD41a +, CD42a +) and granulocyte-derived (CD11a +) MPs were measured. Flow cytometry was performed on the Beckman Coulter analyzer. Reference gate was defined for the level of MPs using 0.22-0.45-0.88μm microspheres, and the size gate for MPs was 0.5-1.0μm.
RESULTS: Of all types of MPs detected, the levels of CD31 +MPs, CD62E +MPs and CD11a +MPs were significantly higher in the insomnia group than in the non-insomnia group (P<0.05). Besides, compared with acute insomnia, the levels of CD31 + MPs and CD11a +MPs were significantly higher in chronic insomnia (P<0.001).
CONCLUSIONS: In insomnia patients, atherosclerosis progression may be increased by the CD31+ EMPs-mediated apoptosis and endothelial injury. The level of CD11a+ LMPs kept increasing as insomnia persisted, which may indicate atherosclerosis progression.

KEY WORDS: Biomarkers; Sleep initiation and maintenance disorders; Arteriosclerosis; Flow cytometry