title: Elastin degradation in systemic vasculitis.
abstract: The elastin peptide level (EP) and elastase-type activity (EA) were investigated in 89 patients with different types of systemic vasculitis (polyarteritis nodosa-14, non-specific aortoarteritis-33, temporal arteritis-23 and thromboangiitis obliterans-18) and compared to the controls: 31 patients with leg atherosclerosis and 12 aged subjects with no evident vascular pathology. EP and EA levels in patients with thromboangiitis obliterans were significantly lower as compared to leg atherosclerosis and the aged control group (p < 0.02 for EA, p < 0.05 for EP). The increase of EP predominated in giant-cell arteritis as compared to the other vasculitic groups (18/56 vs. 5/32, p < 0.05); EA in these patients was the lowest. The activation of elastin degradation after corticosteroid treatment was demonstrated by an increase of EP in temporal arteritis (p < 0.05) and of EA in thromboangiitis obliterans (p < 0.03). We suggest that the determination of the above parameters of elastin degradation may be helpful in the search for differences in mechanisms of vascular damage between atherosclerosis and inflammatory vascular diseases.
authors.affiliation: Department of Rheumatology, Moscow Medical Academy, Russia.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bokarewa
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Baranov
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Nassonov
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Robert
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001025:Aortitis / Q000097:blood* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism; D001161:Arteriosclerosis / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism; D004549:Elastin / Q000032:analysis*; D005260:Female; D013700:Giant Cell Arteritis / Q000097:blood* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010196:Pancreatic Elastase / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D010455:Peptides / Q000032:analysis; D010488:Polyarteritis Nodosa / Q000097:blood* / Q000378:metabolism; D012016:Reference Values; D013919:Thromboangiitis Obliterans / Q000097:blood* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones; D010455:Peptides; D004549:Elastin; D010196:Pancreatic Elastase