title: ET-1 plasma levels during cold stress test in sclerodermic patients.
abstract: Endothelial cell injury in blood vessels of small arteries and capillaries is considered the primary event in the pathogenesis of systemic sclerosis (SSc). Because endothelin-1 (ET-1) is mainly released in the site of endothelial cell damage, thereby inducing a potent vasoconstriction, it was our intention to study ET-1 release in a group of SSc patients during a cold pressor test (CPT). Twelve SSc patients and a control group of 10 healthy subjects underwent CPT. Blood samples for ET-1 assay were collected at 90 and 180 seconds of exposure to cold stress. Heart rate and blood pressure were recorded at the same intervals. A capillaroscopic examination was performed in both groups before and after CPT. We observed significantly higher levels of plasma ET-1 in SSc patients compared with those of the control group at baseline (P=0.007) and at 90 (P=0.006) and 180 seconds (P=0.03) of CPT. During the test, the capillaroscopic examination showed a dramatic worsening of the vascular picture that was parallel to the increase in ET-1 plasma levels. This suggests that higher ET-1 plasma levels can have a part in the acute vascular reactivity of SSc patients undergoing CPT.
authors.affiliation: Istituto II Clinica Medica (Medicine Interna), Policlinico Umberto I, Università La Sapienza, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Danese
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Parlapiano
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Zavattaro
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Di Prima
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Campana
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rota
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Tonnarini
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Di Siena
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Borgia
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003080:Cold Temperature / Q000009:adverse effects*; D019332:Endothelin-1 / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012595:Scleroderma, Systemic / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D019332:Endothelin-1