Elevation of serum lymphotactin levels in patients with systemic sclerosis.
OBJECTIVE
To determine serum concentrations of lymphotactin, a Th1 chemokine, and their clinical association in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc).


METHODS
Lymphotactin levels were examined in serum samples from patients with SSc (n = 68), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE; n = 42), or dermatomyositis (DM; n = 29), and healthy controls (n = 18) by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay.


RESULTS
Serum lymphotactin levels were significantly elevated in SSc patients compared to patients with SLE or DM as well as controls. Serum lymphotactin levels were similar in patients with limited cutaneous SSc and diffuse cutaneous SSc (dSSc). Clinical correlation of elevated lymphotactin levels was not detected in the total group of patients with SSc, while elevation of lymphotactin levels was significantly associated with higher percentage vital capacity and percentage diffusing capacity of carbon monoxide, lower lung severity grade and serum IgG levels, and less frequent presence of short sublingual frenulum in patients with dSSc.


CONCLUSIONS
Our results indicate that elevated serum lymphotactin levels correlate with relatively milder manifestations in dSSc, especially lower severity of lung involvement, suggesting that lymphotactin may play a role in the development of dSSc.
Muroi
Eiji
E
Department of Dermatology, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki, Japan.
Ogawa
Fumihide
F
Shimizu
Kazuhiro
K
Komura
Kazuhiro
K
Hasegawa
Minoru
M
Fujimoto
Manabu
M
Sato
Shinichi
S
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003882:Dermatomyositis / Q000097:blood; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008222:Lymphokines / Q000097:blood* / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012595:Scleroderma, Systemic / Q000097:blood* / Q000503:physiopathology; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012795:Sialoglycoproteins / Q000097:blood* / Q000502:physiology; D018417:Th1 Cells / Q000378:metabolism
D008222:Lymphokines; D012795:Sialoglycoproteins; C018997:lymphotactin