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Increased cutaneous T-cell-attracting chemokine levels in sera from patients with systemic sclerosis
I Hayakawa1, M Hasegawa, T Matsushita
1Department of Dermatology, Kanazawa University Graduate School of Medical Science, 13-1 Takaramachi, Kanazawa, Ishikawa 920-8641, Japan.
Objective:
We sought to assess serum cutaneous T-cell-attracting chemokine (CTACK) levels and CTACK expression levels in skin from patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc), and determine whether serum CTACK levels correlate with clinical features in SSc patients.
Methods:
Serum samples were obtained from 73 SSc patients, 32 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus and 26 patients with dermatomyositis. Serum CTACK levels were determined by enzyme-linked immunoabsorbent assay. CTACK mRNA expression in sclerotic skin was assessed by real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction.
Results:
Serum CTACK levels were significantly increased in patients with diffuse cutaneous SSc (dSSc; n=32) and those with limited cutaneous SSc (lSSc; n=41) compared with normal controls (n=31; P<0.05 and P<0.0005, respectively). The presence of calcinosis and muscle involvement was more frequently detected in SSc patients with elevated CTACK levels (P<0.05 and P<0.05, respectively). Elevated C-reactive protein levels were also observed more frequently in SSc patients with increased CTACK levels (P<0.05). CTACK mRNA expression levels in the sclerotic skin of SSc patients were augmented. In a longitudinal study, serum CTACK levels were generally decreased during the follow-up.
Conclusions:
The increased serum CTACK levels and enhanced skin CTACK expression in SSc patients suggest that CTACK is related to the inflammation associated with SSc.
