Abstract 453: Chemerin and Resistin Expression in Carotid Plaque Instability

Objective: Chemerin and resistin are pro-inflammatory cytokines that have been shown to play a role in atherosclerosis and coronary artery disease. However, their association with carotid atherosclerosis has not been investigated. We sought to assess the relationship between a) circulating chemerin/resistin levels and cerebrovascular symptomatology, and b) chemerin/resistin plaque expression and carotid plaque instability. Methods: Patients scheduled for carotid endarterectomy were recruited from the Royal Victoria and Jewish General hospitals, Montreal, Canada. Blood was drawn pre-operatively and plasma resistin and chemerin were measured using ELISA. Maximum stenosis sections were stained with hematoxylin and eosin and immunostained with anti-CD3 and anti-CD68. Two vascular pathologists used semi-quantitative scales to classify plaque foam cells and inflammatory cells as well as overall plaque instability. RNA was isolated from the area of maximum stenosis, reverse transcribed, and qPCR was performed to...