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Thromb Haemost
DOI: 10.1055/a-2513-9638
Stroke, Systemic or Venous Thromboembolism

Monocyte/Macrophage Infiltration in Thrombus and Outcomes of Stroke Patients with Monocyte/Macrophage-dominant Thrombus

Kijeong Lee
1   Department of Neurology, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
,
Myoung-Jin Cha
2   Department of Neurology, National Police Hospital, Seoul, South Korea
,
Il Kwon
3   Integrative Research Center for Cerebrovascular and Cardiovascular Diseases, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
,
Sungeun Kim
1   Department of Neurology, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
,
Jin Ju Song
1   Department of Neurology, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
,
Young Dae Kim
1   Department of Neurology, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
,
Hyo Suk Nam
1   Department of Neurology, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
,
Jaseong Koo
4   Department of Neurology, Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, South Korea
,
Hye Sun Lee
5   Biostatistics Collaboration Unit, Department of Research Affairs, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
,
Haram Joo
1   Department of Neurology, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
,
Hyunjung Choi
6   GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) Plc., Philadelphia, United States
,
Ji Hoe Heo
1   Department of Neurology, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
3   Integrative Research Center for Cerebrovascular and Cardiovascular Diseases, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
› Author Affiliations Funding This work was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) grant funded by the Korea government (RNF-2021R1A2C2003658) and a grant from the Korea Health Technology R&D Project through the Korea Health Industry Development Institute (KHIDI), funded by the Ministry of Health & Welfare, Republic of Korea (RS-2023–00265497).
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Abstract

Background Inflammatory cells may play a role in thrombus formation. However, the impact of monocytes in thrombosis and clinical characteristics of patients with monocyte-rich thrombus are less well understood.

Methods A FeCl3-induced carotid thrombosis model in mice was used to study aged thrombus by ligating the distal carotid artery for 0.5, 1, 2, 3, 6, 24, 48, or 72 hours. In stroke patients, we used thrombi that were obtained during endovascular thrombectomy. Immunohistochemistry was performed to determine thrombus composition. We investigated monocyte/macrophage recruitment to arterial thrombus over time in mice, and compared clinical outcomes between stroke patients with the higher and the lower monocyte/macrophage compositions in thrombus.

Results In 90 mice, CD68 (monocyte/macrophage) counts increased from 3 hours in a time-dependent manner, and decreased after 48 hours (p < 0.001). In 102 stroke patients, the higher monocyte/macrophage group had higher blood platelet counts (median 228 × 109/L, interquartile range [177–267] versus median 186 × 109/L, interquartile range [164–225], p = 0.036), less frequently parenchymal hematoma (8.0% versus 28.8%, p = 0.007), and more frequently functional independence (54.0% versus 32.7%, p = 0.030). In multivariable logistic regression analysis, the higher monocyte/macrophage group was independently associated with functional independence (odds ratio 4.954, 95% confidence interval 1.467–16.724, p = 0.010).

Conclusion Monocytes/macrophages increasingly infiltrated the thrombus after a few hours in mouse arterial thrombosis model, suggesting their role in later stages rather than initial stages of thrombosis. Stroke patients with higher monocyte/macrophage counts had less frequent parenchymal hematoma and more frequent functional independence, suggesting that monocyte/macrophage-rich thrombi are a predictor of better clinical outcomes.

Keywords

monocyte/macrophage - thrombosis - stroke - endovascular thrombectomy - functional outcome

Supplementary Material



Publication History

Received: 07 July 2024

Accepted: 09 January 2025

Article published online:
17 February 2025

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