Atherosclerosis, inflammatory factor changes, cognitive disorder and vascular endothelial functions in patients with different grades of leukoaraiosis

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Lin, Lirong^a | Zhang, Yaxuan^{b; 1} | Zeng, Qingxin^a | Lin, Ligong^c | Geng, Xiaoli^d | Wang, Shaobin^{a; *}

Affiliations: [a] Department of Neurology, Inner Mongolia Baogang Hospital, Baotou, Inner Mongolia, China | [b] Department of Neurosurgery, Inner Mongolia Baogang Hospital, Baotou, Inner Mongolia, China | [c] Department of Hand and Ankle Surgery, Inner Mongolia Baogang Hospital, Baotou, Inner Mongolia, China | [d] Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Inner Mongolia Baogang Hospital, Baotou, Inner Mongolia, China

Correspondence: [*] Corresponding author: Shaobin Wang, Department of Neurology, Inner Mongolia Baogang Hospital, No. 20 Shaoxian Road, Kundulun District, Baotou, 014010, Inner Mongolia, China. Tel.: +86 0472 5992906; Fax: +86 0472 5992906; E-mail: shaobinwang306@163.com.

Note: [1] Co-first author.

Abstract: OBJECTIVE:To study the atherosclerosis (AS), inflammatory factor level, cognitive disorder and vascular endothelial functions in patients with different grades of leukoaraiosis (LA), and to explore the correlations of different grades of LA with cognitive disorder. METHODS:A total of 180 patients with cerebral infarction admitted and treated in the Department of Neurology of our hospital were selected, and they were graded according to the Tarvonen-shcolder standard, with 45 patients in each group. The atherosclerotic plaques of the patients were detected via a color Doppler ultrasound system and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Their inflammatory factor levels were determined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The cognitive function was scored based on the mini-mental state examination (MMSE), and the levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), endothelin (ET) and nitric oxide (NO) were measured to evaluate vascular endothelial functions. RESULTS:According to the comparisons among four groups of the patients, the incidence rate of AS was gradually increased among patients with different grades of LA (p < 0.05). With the aggravation of LA, the levels of inflammatory factors in patients were obviously increased (p < 0.05). LA patients had evidently lowered MMSE scores and levels of SOD and NO, but notably raised inflammatory factors C-reactive protein (CRP) and matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) and vascular endothelial function indices MDA and ET (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION:The occurrence of LA is implicated with the increasing levels of inflammatory factors in the patients, aggregation of cognitive dysfunction and impairment vascular endothelial functions.

Keywords: Leukoaraiosis, atherosclerosis, inflammatory factors, cognitive function, vascular endothelial functions

DOI: 10.3233/CH-190597

Journal: Clinical Hemorheology and Microcirculation, vol. 73, no. 4, pp. 591-597, 2019