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Capillaries, endothelial phenotype and inflammatory markers in the Skin of Systemic Sclerosis patients, does autologous stem cell transplant induce capillary regeneration?
Author(s) -
Fleming Jo Nadine,
Shulman Howard,
McLeod Dennis,
Nash Richard,
Molitor Jerry,
Connolly M. Kari,
Schwartz Stephen Mark
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.21.6.lb74
Subject(s) - pathology , medicine , scleroderma (fungus) , endothelium , endothelial stem cell , intimal hyperplasia , connective tissue disease , pathogenesis , stem cell , autoimmune disease , disease , biology , genetics , in vitro , biochemistry , smooth muscle , inoculation
Systemic Sclerosis(SSc), or scleroderma, is a fibrotic, autoimmune, connective tissue disease with capillary rarefaction, intimal hyperplasia and cold induced vasospasm. Theories of pathogenesis for SSc include endothelial cell death resulting in loss of small vessels. Nail bed microscopy has suggested that loss of capillaries may be an early event in this sequence but detailed studies of capillary rarefaction have not been done. We compared endothelium from skin biopsies from 26 SSc patients, 24 normal controls, and 7 SSc patients who underwent autologous stem cell transplant (A‐SCT). Our results showed an unusual endothelial phenotype in the residual vessels and decreased capillary counts in SSc. We found vascular endothelial cadherin and interferon alpha expression changes associated with SSc. Although all patients experienced clinical improvement after treatment, 5 of 7 SSc patients who received A‐SCT have increased capillary counts and the above two markers have returned to normal as other clinical signs in the skin regress. These results have implications for treatment and research directions for SSc.