The level of the collagen cross-link pyridinoline reflects the improvement of cutaneous lesions in one case of skin alveolar echinococcosis.
Cutaneous parasitic lesions, associated with a dense fibrous reaction, markedly improved under albendazole treatment in one case of supraumbilical skin localization of alveolar echinococcosis. Since collagen cross-linking increases during fibrogenesis and contributes to the stability of fibrotic lesions, we monitored the level of the cross-links pyridinoline and pentosidine in skin lesions from this patient to determine if they would reflect the changes occurring during treatment. We looked at the deposition of cross-linked type I collagen by immunohistochemistry and also measured the serum concentrations of pentosidine and of a fragment of type I collagen (ICTP), which contains a site of pyridinoline formation. Albendazole treatment did not affect either the collagen content of skin lesions or the serum concentrations of ICTP and pentosidine, but it led to a pronounced decrease in pyridinoline level concomitant with the disappearance, observed by immunohistochemistry, of extensively cross-linked fibrotic type I collagen. The follow-up of collagen cross-linking by pyridinoline in skin tissue thus appears to be useful in reflecting the improvement of fibrotic skin diseases during therapy.
Ricard-Blum
S
S
Institut Pasteur de Lyon, France. ricard@physio.univ-lyon.fr
Bresson-Hadni
S
S
Grenard
P
P
Humbert
P
P
Carbillet
J P
JP
Risteli
L
L
Vuitton
D A
DA
D015766:Albendazole / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000596:Amino Acids / Q000032:analysis*; D000923:Anticestodal Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000977:Antiparasitic Agents; D001120:Arginine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000097:blood; D001706:Biopsy; D003094:Collagen / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D004443:Echinococcosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D004445:Echinococcosis, Pulmonary / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D005355:Fibrosis; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008239:Lysine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000097:blood; D012867:Skin / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D012876:Skin Diseases, Parasitic / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology
D000596:Amino Acids; D000923:Anticestodal Agents; D000977:Antiparasitic Agents; C015484:pyridinoline; D003094:Collagen; D001120:Arginine; C062187:pentosidine; D015766:Albendazole; D008239:Lysine