Adenosine and
adenosine derivatives are the main regulators of
purinoceptors (P1 and P2) mediated hemostasis and blood pressure. Since impaired hemostasis and
high blood pressure lead to
atherosclerosis and to the development of
aneurysm, in this study we tested and compared the concentration of extracellular
purines (e-
purines) in the blood in of patients having
abdominal aortic aneurysm with that from healthy volunteers. Whereas
adenine nucleosides and
nucleotides level in human blood plasma was analysed using reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC),
cholesterol concentration was estimated by an enzymatic assay. We did not find any correlation between e-
purines concentration and the age of healthy volunteers. Furthermore, the sum level of e-
purines (
ATP,
ADP,
AMP,
adenosine, and
inosine) in the control group did not exceed 70 microM, while it was nearly two-fold higher in the blood of patients having
abdominal aortic aneurysm, (123 microM). In a special case of people with
Leriche Syndrome, a disease characterized by deep atherosclerotic changes, the e-
purines level had further increased. Additionally, we also report typical atherosclerotic changes in the aorta using histological assays as well as total
cholesterol rise. The significant rise in
cholesterol concentration in the blood of the patients with abdominal aortas
aneurysm, compared with the control groups, was not unique since 23% of the healthy people also exceeded the normal level of
cholesterol. Therefore, our results strongly indicate that the estimation of e-
purines concentration in the blood may serve as another
indicator of
atherosclerosis and warrant further consideration as a futuristic diagnostic tool.