Increased levels of circulating intercellular adhesion molecule-1 in patients with localized scleroderma.
BACKGROUND
Intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) is important in immune-mediated mechanisms, and its circulating form (cICAM-1) may be an indicator of immune activation. Localized scleroderma is accompanied by various immunologic abnormalities.


OBJECTIVE
We investigated whether the serum level of cICAM-1 in patients with localized scleroderma was elevated and was correlated with the clinical or serologic features of this disease.


METHODS
Serum cICAM-1 levels were determined by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in 48 patients with localized scleroderma, in 20 patients with systemic sclerosis, and in 20 healthy control subjects.


RESULTS
Serum levels of cICAM-1 were significantly higher in patients with localized scleroderma than in the healthy control subjects. These levels correlated with the number of lesions, the number of involved areas, levels of antihistone antibody IgM, and levels of soluble interleukin 2 receptor.


CONCLUSIONS
The results suggest that immune activation may be a factor in localized scleroderma.
Ihn
H
H
Department of Dermatology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tokyo, Japan.
Fujimoto
M
M
Sato
S
S
Kikuchi
K
K
Igarashi
A
A
Soma
Y
Y
Takehara
K
K
D000328:Adult; D000974:Antibodies, Antinuclear / Q000097:blood; D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000097:blood*; D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules / Q000097:blood*; D004277:DNA, Single-Stranded / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D006657:Histones / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000097:blood; D007075:Immunoglobulin M / Q000097:blood; D018799:Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1; D008297:Male; D015375:Receptors, Interleukin-2 / Q000032:analysis; D012217:Rheumatoid Factor / Q000097:blood; D012594:Scleroderma, Localized / Q000097:blood / Q000145:classification / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D012595:Scleroderma, Systemic / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology
D000974:Antibodies, Antinuclear; D015703:Antigens, CD; D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules; D004277:DNA, Single-Stranded; D006657:Histones; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D007075:Immunoglobulin M; D015375:Receptors, Interleukin-2; D018799:Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1; D012217:Rheumatoid Factor