title: Cutaneous tissue angiotensin-converting enzyme may participate in pathologic scar formation in human skin.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Many studies have shown that up-regulation of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) participates in adverse fibrous remodeling. Although this has become an accepted fact in the cardiovascular field, the relationship between ACE and cutaneous fibrous remodeling, such as keloid or hypertrophic scars, remains unknown.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  We sought to investigate ACE in normal skin, wounded skin, and pathologic scars.
  
  
  METHODS
  Ten samples undergoing a normal wound-healing process, 14 samples of pathologic scar tissue, and 15 samples of normal skin were used in this study. Cutaneous tissue ACE activities were measured with high-pressure liquid chromatography. Localization of ACE was assessed by immunohistochemistry.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The ACE activity in pathologic scar tissue was significantly higher than in normal and wounded skin. Immunohistochemical studies demonstrated that myofibroblasts were stained with anti-ACE antibody.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The study is small.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results suggest that up-regulated ACE may participate in cutaneous pathologic scar formation the same as the cardiovascular system.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine Graduate School of Medical Science, Kyoto 602-8566, Japan. moriyan@koto.kpu-m.ac.jp
authors.forename: Kiyoshi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Morihara
authors.forename: Shinji
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Takai
authors.forename: Hideya
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Takenaka
authors.forename: Masato
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sakaguchi
authors.forename: Yukiko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Okamoto
authors.forename: Toru
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Morihara
authors.forename: Mizuo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Miyazaki
authors.forename: Saburo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kishimoto
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D017439:Cicatrix, Hypertrophic / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007627:Keloid / Q000503:physiopathology*; D015603:Keratinocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D007703:Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A / Q000502:physiology*; D015854:Up-Regulation / Q000502:physiology; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D007703:Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A