1.CD40 and CD40 ligand (CD40L) have a critical role in the pathophysiology and risk prediction of coronary artery syndrome, including atherothrombosis and atherosclerosis.
Here, we illustrate the various functional features of these molecules, while describing the increasingly important role of CD40 in CD154-associated vascular pathologies such as atherosclerosis and atherothrombosis.
This review will focus on biochemical evidence of CD40L involvement in platelet activation, contribution of platelet-derived CD40L to inflammation, thrombosis and neoangiogenesis, and possible methodological pitfalls regarding the appropriate specimen and preparation for laboratory evaluation of blood soluble CD40L as a biomarker in various human diseases characterized by underlying inflammation, such as atherothrombosis, cancer and immuno-inflammatory diseases.