Insights into the Role of Neutrophils and Neutrophil Extracellular Traps in Causing Cardiovascular Complications in Patients with COVID-19: A Systematic Review

Dietary Antioxidants and Natural Compounds in Preventing Thrombosis and Cardiovascular Disease

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) contribute to endothelial dysfunction, platelet activation, and coagulation abnormalities, promoting thrombus formation. Given the growing interest in non-pharmacological approaches to modulate oxidative stress, we examine the potential of various dietary interventions and antioxidant supplementation in reducing oxidative damage and preventing thrombotic events. Key dietary patterns, such as the Mediterranean, Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH), and ketogenic diets, as well as antioxidant-rich supplements like curcumin, selenium, and polyphenols, demonstrate promising effects in improving oxidative stress markers, lipid profiles, and inflammatory responses. This review highlights recent advances in the field, drawing from in vitro, ex vivo, and clinical studies, and underscores the importance of integrating dietary strategies into preventive and therapeutic approaches for managing thrombosis and cardiovascular health. Further research is needed to better understand long-term effects and personalize these interventions for optimizing patient outcomes.

Pathological mechanisms and crosstalk among various cell death pathways in cardiac involvement of systemic lupus erythematosus

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a prevalent autoimmune disease primarily characterized by the involvement of multiple systems and organs. Cardiovascular disease is the primary cause of mortality in patients with SLE, though the mechanisms underlying the increased cardiovascular risk in SLE patients remain unclear. Recent studies indicate that abnormal activation of programmed cell death (PCD) signaling and the crosstalk among various forms of cell death are critical in the immunopathogenesis of SLE. Furthermore, apoptosis, necroptosis, pyroptosis, NETosis, and ferroptosis are recognized as key cellular processes in the pathogenesis of SLE and are closely linked to cardiac involvement. This review uniquely explores the intricate crosstalk between apoptosis, necroptosis, and other cell death pathways, discussing their roles and interactions in the pathogenesis of cardiac involvement in SLE. Investigating the interplay between PCD signaling and cardiac involvement in SLE in understanding the disease's underlying mechanisms and offers opportunities for new therapeutic interventions. The integration of precision medicine and innovative strategies targeting these complex pathways holds promise for enhancing the treatment prospects of SLE with cardiac involvement.

Neutrophil Extracellular Traps in ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction: Reduced by Tocilizumab and Associated With Infarct Size

Background

Interleukin-6-receptor inhibition with tocilizumab improves myocardial salvage in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Reduced levels of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs), which consist of nuclear material studded with proteins released upon neutrophil activation, might contribute to this effect.

Objectives

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of tocilizumab on NETs and investigate the association between NETs and myocardial injury in patients with STEMI.

Methods

In the ASSAIL-MI study, 199 patients with STEMI were randomized to tocilizumab or placebo during percutaneous coronary intervention. In this substudy, we analyzed blood levels of the NET markers double-stranded deoxyribonucleic acid (dsDNA), myeloperoxidase-DNA, and citrullinated histone 3 (H3Cit) at admission and after 24 hours and 3 to 7 days. In a subgroup of patients, we assessed regulation of transcripts related to the formation of NETs. We also investigated associations between NET markers and the myocardial salvage index (MSI).

Results

All NET markers were lower in the tocilizumab group than in the placebo group at 3 to 7 days (all P < 0.04). Several NET-related pathways were downregulated in the tocilizumab group. The beneficial effect of tocilizumab on the MSI seemed to be partly dependent on reduction of NETs (structural equation modeling: 0.05, P = 0.001 [dsDNA] and 0.02, P = 0.055 [H3Cit]). Patients with NETs in the 3 lowest quartiles had higher MSI than patients in quartile 4 (10.9 [95% CI: 4.0-15.0] [dsDNA] and 8.9 [95% CI: 2.0-15.9] [H3Cit], both P = 0.01).

Conclusions

NETs were reduced by tocilizumab and associated with myocardial injury. The effect of tocilizumab on MSI might be mediated through reduced NETs. (ASSessing the Effect of Anti-IL-6 Treatment in Myocardial Infarction: The ASSAIL-MI Trial [ASSAIL-MI]; NCT03004703).

Current Knowledge of Enterococcal Endocarditis: A Disease Lurking in Plain Sight of Health Providers

Enterococcus faecalis is a bacterial pathogen that can cause opportunistic infections. Studies indicate that initial biofilm formation plays a crucial regulatory role in these infections, as well as in colonising and maintaining the gastrointestinal tract as a commensal member of the microbiome of most land animals. It has long been thought that vegetation of endocarditis resulting from bacterial attachment to the endocardial endothelium requires some pre-existing tissue damage, and in animal models of experimental endocarditis, mechanical valve damage is typically induced by cardiac catheterisation preceding infection. This section reviews historical and contemporary animal model studies that demonstrate the ability of E. faecalis to colonise the undamaged endovascular endothelial surface directly and produce robust microcolony biofilms encapsulated within a bacterially derived extracellular matrix. This report reviews both previous and current animal model studies demonstrating the resilient capacity of E. faecalis to colonise the undamaged endovascular endothelial surface directly and produce robust microcolony biofilms encapsulated in a bacterially derived extracellular matrix. The article also considers the morphological similarities when these biofilms develop on different host sites, such as when E. faecalis colonises the gastrointestinal epithelium as a commensal member of the common vertebrate microbiome, lurking in plain sight and transmitting systemic infection. These phenotypes may enable the organism to survive as an unrecognised infection in asymptomatic subjects, providing an infectious resource for subsequent clinical process of endocarditis.

To Gain Insights into the Pathophysiological Mechanisms of the Thrombo-Inflammatory Process in the Atherosclerotic Plaque

Thromboinflammation, the interplay between thrombosis and inflammation, is a significant pathway that drives cardiovascular and autoimmune diseases, as well as COVID-19. SARS-CoV-2 causes inflammation and blood clotting issues. Innate immune cells have emerged as key modulators of this process. Neutrophils, the most predominant white blood cells in humans, are strategically positioned to promote thromboinflammation. By releasing decondensed chromatin structures called neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs), neutrophils can initiate an organised cell death pathway. These structures are adorned with histones, cytoplasmic and granular proteins, and have cytotoxic, immunogenic, and prothrombotic effects that can hasten disease progression. Protein arginine deiminase 4 (PAD4) catalyses the citrullination of histones and is involved in the release of extracellular DNA (NETosis). The neutrophil inflammasome is also required for this process. Understanding the link between the immunological function of neutrophils and the procoagulant and proinflammatory activities of monocytes and platelets is important in understanding thromboinflammation. This text discusses how vascular blockages occur in thromboinflammation due to the interaction between neutrophil extracellular traps and ultra-large VWF (von Willebrand Factor). The activity of PAD4 is important for understanding the processes that drive thromboinflammation by linking the immunological function of neutrophils with the procoagulant and proinflammatory activities of monocytes and platelets. This article reviews how vaso-occlusive events in thrombo-inflammation occur through the interaction of neutrophil extracellular traps with von Willebrand factor. It highlights the relevance of PAD4 in neutrophil inflammasome assembly and neutrophil extracellular traps in thrombo-inflammatory diseases such as atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease. Interaction between platelets, VWF, NETs and inflammasomes is critical for the progression of thromboinflammation in several diseases and was recently shown to be active in COVID-19.

Editorial of the Special Issue: Cellular Mechanisms of Cardiovascular Disease

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) remain the major cause of mortality and disability worldwide, having contributed to 19 [...].

The Role of Neutrophil Extracellular Traps (NETs) in the Pathogenesis of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus and Antiphospholipid Syndrome

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a systemic autoimmune disease of unknown aetiology [...].

Micro- and Macrovascular Effects of Inflammation in Peripheral Artery Disease-Pathophysiology and Translational Therapeutic Approaches

Inflammation has a critical role in the development and progression of atherosclerosis. On the molecular level, inflammatory pathways negatively impact endothelial barrier properties and thus, tissue homeostasis. Conformational changes and destruction of the glycocalyx further promote pro-inflammatory pathways also contributing to pro-coagulability and a prothrombotic state. In addition, changes in the extracellular matrix composition lead to (peri-)vascular remodelling and alterations of the vessel wall, e.g., aneurysm formation. Moreover, progressive fibrosis leads to reduced tissue perfusion due to loss of functional capillaries. The present review aims at discussing the molecular and clinical effects of inflammatory processes on the micro- and macrovasculature with a focus on peripheral artery disease.

SARS-CoV-2-Induced Myocarditis: A State-of-the-Art Review

In this review, we investigated whether severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) can directly cause myocarditis with severe myocardial damage induced by viral particles. A review of the major data published from 2020 to 2022 was performed by consulting the major databases alongside first-hand experiences that emerged from the cardiac biopsies and autopsy examinations of patients who died of SARS-CoV-2 infections. From this study, a significantly large amount of data suggests that the Dallas criteria were met in a residual percentage of patients, demonstrating that SARS-CoV-2 myocarditis was a rare clinical and pathological entity that occurred in a small percentage of subjects. All cases described here were highly selected and subjected to autopsies or endomyocardial biopsies (EMBs). The most important discovery, through the detection of the SARS-CoV-2 genome using the polymerase chain reaction, consisted in the presence of the viral genome in the lung tissue of most of the patients who died from COVID-19. However, the discovery of the SARS-CoV-2 viral genome was a rare event in cardiac tissue from autopsy findings of patients who died of myocarditis It is important to emphasize that myocardial inflammation alone, as promoted by macrophages and T cell infiltrations, can be observed in noninfectious deaths and COVID-19 cases, but the extent of each cause is varied, and in neither case have such findings been reported to support clinically relevant myocarditis. Therefore, in the different infected vs. non-infected samples examined, none of our findings provide a definitive histochemical assessment for the diagnosis of myocarditis in the majority of cases evaluated. We report evidence suggesting an extremely low frequency of viral myocarditis that has also been associated with unclear therapeutic implications. These two key factors strongly point towards the use of an endomyocardial biopsy to irrefutably reach a diagnosis of viral myocarditis in the context of COVID-19.