Objective To investigate the effect of prostaglandin E1(PGE1) on the expression of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1(MCP-1)in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and its possible mechanism. Methods Endothelial cells were incubated with oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL group) in the presence or absence of prostaglandin E1. The level of MCP-1 in the supernatants was determined by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), the expression of MCP-1 mRNA in cultured endothelial cells was detected by in-situ hybridization and the protein expression of NF-κB was analyzed by Western blot. Results Compared with ox-LDL(100 μg/ml),PGE1 markedly lowered the levels of MCP-1[(0. 327±0. 051),(0. 214±0. 213),(0. 247±0. 228)pg/ml vs. (0. 655±0. 013)pg/ml], inhibiting the expression of MCP-1 mRNA [(0. 061±0. 008), (0. 033±0. 006),(0. 026±0. 004)A/μm2 vs. (0. 220±0. 032)A/μm2] in the cultured HUVECs in a dosedependent manner (0. 001, 0. 01, 0.1 mol/L). Western blot analysis demonstrated that the amount of NF-κB p65 was attenuated after treatment with prostaglandin E1 for 24 hours. Conclusions Prostaglandin E1 can downregulate the expressions of MCP-1 and NF-κB induced by ox-LDL in HUVECs, which may thereby defend the blood vessel endothelial cell function.

Objective To investigate the efficacy and safety of tirofiban in the treatment of aged patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) during primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Methods Two hundred and fifty-six patients with ACS who underwent primary PCI were randomly divided into two groups: tirofiban group (tirofiban + PCI treatment, n= 130) and control group (routine PCI treatment, n = 126). Tirofiban group was further divided into two subgroups according to the age: aged group(age ≥60 years, n= 68) and non-elderly group(age<60 years, n=62). At the end of PCI procedure, angiographic features such as thrombolysis in myocardial infarction (TIMI) flow grade, corrected TIMI frames count and TIMI myocardial perfusion grades (TMPG) were analyzed immediately. The incidence of major adverse cardiac events (MACE) was observed within 36 hours and 30 days after PCI, and the incidence rates of thrombocytopenia and bleeding were assessed. Results There was no significant difference between both the two study groups and the two subgroups in the basic clinical or angiographic characteristics before PCI (all P>0.05). There was no significant difference between two groups in TIMI 3 flow achievement rate in culprit vessels after PCI (93.6% vs. 91.3%, χ~2 = 1.02, P= 0.313). In tirofiban group, corrected TIMI frames count was significantly higher than that in control group (31.6±7.7 vs. 23.8±6.1, t = 2.49, P 0.026), and TMPG 3 achievement rate was also higher (83.1% vs. 67.5% ,χ~2=4.05, P=0.046). The incidence of MACE was significantly lower in tirofiban group than that in control group both within 36 hours and 30 days after procedure(6.9% vs. 19.0%, χ~2= 6.30, P= 0.013; 3.8% vs. 11.90%, χ~2= 5.82,P=0.018, respectively). No statistical difference was found in mild bleeding complications between the two groups (20.2% vs. 15.2%, χ~2 =3.65, P=0.065), but the incidence of mild bleeding was higher in aged group than that in the non-elderly group(25.0% vs. 14.5%,χ~2=4.98, P=0.026), and the incidences of serious bleeding and thrombocytopenia were similar between the two subgroups. Conclusions Intravenous tirofiban infusion is safe in aged ACS patients during primary PCI, and has favorable short-term outcomes compared with routine treatment, although there is a slight risk of mild bleeding.