Circulating Leukocytes and Oxidative Stress in Cardiovascular Diseases: A State of the Art

Table 1

Relevant studies highlighting the correlation between the oxidative stress level detected in circulating leukocytes and the cardiovascular phenotypes/outcomes in CVDs.

Disease	Sample	Level of direct and indirect markers of oxidative stress	Cardiovascular phenotypes/outcomes	Reference
Hypertension	PMNs	↑ ROS	↑ BP	[32]
Hypertension	MNCs	↑ ROS	↑ C-reactive protein level	[32]
Hypertension	MNCs	↑ ROS	(i) Extreme dipper-type hypertension; (ii) Morning BP surge-type hypertension	[33]
Hypertension	MNCs	↑ ROS	↑ Left ventricular mass, carotid IMT, nocturnal BP, norepinephrine level	[34]
Hypertension	PMNs	↓ ROS; ↑ Antioxidant activity	↑ Response to antihypertensive agents; ↓ BP	[35–38]
Cardiac syndrome X	MNCs	↑ ROS	↑ Cardiovascular events	[44]
Atherosclerosis	PBMCs	↑ CD36 expression	↑ Cholesterol level and oxLDL	[45]
Diabetes	PBMCs	↑ p66Shc expression	↑ Macroangiopathy	[50]
CAD	PBMCs	↑ ROS; ↑ Mitochondrial dysfunction; ↓ Antioxidant genes	ACS	[25]
CAD	PBMCs	↑ ROS; ↓ Antioxidant defence; ↓ LTL	Premature CAD	[56]
CAD	PBMCs	↑ LTL	Response to statin therapy	[57]
Stroke	PMNs	↑ ROS	↑ Ischaemic brain attack	[62]
HF	PBMCs	↑ ROS; ↑ oxLDL; ↑ DNA damage	↑ Severity of HF	[65]
HF	PBMCs	↑ ROS; ↓ Antioxidant defence	SIRS development after CF-LVAD implant surgery	[73]
HF	PBMCs	↓ ROS	Response to vitamin C therapy; Improved endothelial function	[66]
CHF	PBMCs	Mitochondrial dysfunction; ↑ ROS; ↓ Mitophagy	Not evaluated	[27]
HF	PBMCs	↓ SIRT1; ↑ ROS	Reduced cardiac compensation status	[69]
CHF	PBMCs	↑ ROS	↑ Hospital readmission	[71]

ACS: acute coronary syndrome; BP: blood pressure; CAD: coronary artery disease; HF: heart failure; CF-LVAD: continuous flow left ventricular assist device; CVDs: cardiovascular diseases; IMT: intima-media thickening; LTL: leukocyte telomere length; MNCs: mononuclear cells; oxLDL: oxidized low-density lipoprotein; PBMCs: peripheral blood mononuclear cells; PMNs: polymorphonuclear leukocytes; ROS: reactive oxygen species; SIRS: systemic inflammatory response syndrome; SIRT1: sirtuin 1.