Serum levels of type III collagen aminopropeptide in patients with systemic scleroderma

✍ Scribed by S. Majewski; A. Skiendzielewska; B. Makieŀa; S. Jabŀońska; M. Bŀaszczyk

• Publisher: Springer-Verlag
• Year: 1987
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 273 KB
• Volume: 279
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0340-3696
• DOI: 10.1007/bf00412596

✦ Synopsis

Systemic scleroderma (SSc) is a connective tissue disease characterized by fibrotic, degenerative, and inflammatory changes in the skin and internal organs [4,9]. Cutaneous fibrosis as well as pathological changes in the internal organs may depend on initital perivascular fibrotic processes followed by excessive deposition of various extracellular matrix proteins [3]. Increased synthesis, deposition, and degradation of collagen, proteoglycans, and fibronectin have been reported in SSc patients [7]. It has been shown that the extent of cutaneous involvement and that of other organs in SSc correlates with an increased synthesis of collagen type I and III in fibroblast cultures derived from patients [2,5,14]. Moreover, it has been reported that enhanced collagen synthesis correlates with the clinical activity of SSc [5], suggesting that measurement of collagen synthesis in a fibroblast culture system may be useful for monitoring the process of fibrosis.

Recently, a new method for the assessment of collagen metabolism was introduced, which may also be useful for monitoring the extent of skin and systemic organ involvement in patients with SSc [6]. This method is based on radioimmunological measurement by antibody Fab fragments of collagen aminopropeptides [11]. The serum level of type III collagen aminopropeptides reflects the rate of collagen synthesis, i.e., the conversion of procollagens into the collagen molecule.

Since this method has been suggested also to be of value for the assessment of the disease activity, the present study was aimed at testing type III collagen aminopropeptide levels in the serum of patients with various forms of SSc, as related to the extent of skin and internal organ involvement.