Introduction
thrombosis, left ventricular remodelling, inflammation, NSTEMI, heart failure, infarct
THROMBOSIS, MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION (MI), INFLAMMATION, HEART FAILURE, PLAQUE, ATHEROSCLEROSIS, INFARCT, ENDOTHELIAL DYSFUNCTION
In patients with myocardial infarction (MI), inflammation plays a pivotal role in various detrimental processes, including endothelial dysfunction, plaque instability, thrombosis and impaired tissue healing. It is a key factor in the development of atherosclerosis, the underlying cause of MI. Moreover, inflammation has been closely associated with critical outcomes such as infarct size, left ventricular remodelling, the development of heart failure and overall mortality.The interleukin (IL)−1 → IL-6 → C reactive protein (CRP) axis has been suggested to play an important role in cardiovascular inflammation.We have previously shown that a single dose of the IL-6 receptor antagonist tocilizumab significantly reduced CRP levels and mitigated troponin T (TnT) release in patients with non-ST segment elevation MI (NSTEMI).We have previously shown that tocilizumab increases the CC chemokine macrophage inflammatory protein (MIP-1β/CCL4) and the CXC chemokine interferon-γ inducible protein (IP-10/CXCL10) in NSTEMI patients.