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Longterm treatment with endothelin receptor antagonist bosentan and iloprost improves fingertip blood perfusion in
Maurizio Cutolo1, Barbara Ruaro, Carmen Pizzorni
1From the Research Laboratory and Academic Division of Clinical Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy; Department of Rheumatology, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium.
Objective:
To evaluate the longterm effects of endothelin-1 (ET-1) antagonism on peripheral blood perfusion (PBP) in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc).
Methods:
Twenty-six patients with SSc already receiving cyclic intravenous iloprost (ILO) for severe Raynaud phenomenon were enrolled. Thirteen patients continued the treatment for a further 3 years (ILO group) and 13 patients, because of the appearance of digital ulcers, received in addition bosentan (BOS; 125 mg twice/day) for 3 years (ILO + BOS group). Both PBP at fingertips and nailfold microangiopathy were evaluated yearly by laser Doppler flowmetry and nailfold videocapillaroscopy, respectively.
Results:
A progressive significant increase of PBP was observed in the ILO + BOS group during the 3 followup years (p = 0.0007, p = 0.0002, p = 0.01, respectively). In contrast, an insignificant progressive decrease of PBP was observed in the ILO group. Difference of perfusion between the PBP evaluations at basal temperature and at 36 °C (to test capillary dilation capacity), was found progressively decreased during the 3-year followup only in the ILO group (p = 0.05, p = 0.26, p = 0.09, respectively). A progressive increase of nailfold capillary number was observed only in the ILO + BOS group after 2 and 3 years of followup (p = 0.05).
Conclusion:
Longterm treatment of SSc patients with ET-1 antagonism, in combination with ILO, seems to increase fingertip blood perfusion, as well as both capillary dilation capacity and number.
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