Circulating Extracellular Vesicles Are Associated with Disease Severity and Interleukin-6 Levels in COPD: A Pilot Study
Dario Nieri, Marta Daniele, Stefania Lombardi, Erica Bazzan, Sabrina Santerini, Giovanna De Cusatis, Barbara Vagaggini, Manuel G. Cosío, Marina Saetta, Pierluigi Paggiaro, Alessandro Celi, Tommaso Neri
Abstract
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a complex condition in which systemic inflammation plays a role in extrapulmonary manifestations, including cardiovascular diseases: interleukin (IL)-6 has a role in both COPD and atherogenesis. The 2011 GOLD document classified patients according to FEV1, symptoms, and exacerbations history, creating four groups, from A (less symptoms/low risk) to D (more symptoms/high risk). Extracellular vesicles (EV) represent potential markers in COPD: nevertheless, no studies have explored their value in association to both disease severity and inflammation. We conducted a pilot study to analyze circulating endothelial-(E) and monocyte-derived (M) EV levels in 35 COPD patients, who were grouped according to the 2011 GOLD document; the relationship between EV and plasmatic markers of inflammation was analyzed. We found a statistically significant trend for increasing EEV, MEV, IL-6, from group A to D, and a significant correlation between EEV and IL-6. The associations between both EEV and MEV and disease severity, and between EEV and IL-6, suggest a significant interplay between pulmonary disease and inflammation, with non-respiratory cells (endothelial cells and monocytes) involvement, along with the progression of the disease. Thus, EV might help identify a high-risk population for extrapulmonary events, especially in the most severe patients.