title: Increased serum pentraxin 3 in patients with systemic sclerosis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine serum concentrations of pentraxin 3 (PTX3) and its clinical associations in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc).
  
  
  METHODS
  Serum PTX3 levels from 45 patients with diffuse cutaneous SSc (dSSc), 46 with limited cutaneous SSc (lSSc), and 20 healthy controls were examined by ELISA. PTX3 expression in the sclerotic skin from SSc patients was evaluated immunohistochemically. Normal and SSc fibroblasts were cultured and PTX3 levels in the culture medium were also examined by ELISA.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Serum PTX3 levels were elevated in patients with SSc relative to controls. PTX3 levels in dSSc patients were significantly higher than in controls and lSSc patients. PTX3 expression in the sclerotic skin from SSc patients was more intense relative to normal skin. Elevation of serum PTX3 levels was associated with more frequent presence of pulmonary fibrosis, cardiac disease, and pitting scar/ulcer and increased serum immunoglobulin levels and erythrocyte sedimentation rates. PTX3 levels correlated positively with modified Rodnan total skin thickness score, and negatively with percentage vital capacity and percentage DLCO in patients with SSc. PTX3 levels also correlated positively with serum levels of 8-isoprostane, a marker of oxidative stress, and hyaluronan, recently identified as an endogenous ligand for Toll-like receptors. PTX3 production from cultured SSc fibroblasts was increased by stimulation with hyaluronan.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results suggest that elevated serum PTX3 levels are associated with the disease severity of SSc.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki, Japan.
authors.forename: Yohei
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Iwata
authors.forename: Ayumi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yoshizaki
authors.forename: Fumihide
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ogawa
authors.forename: Kazuhiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Komura
authors.forename: Toshihide
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hara
authors.forename: Eiji
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Muroi
authors.forename: Motoi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Takenaka
authors.forename: Kazuhiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Shimizu
authors.forename: Minoru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hasegawa
authors.forename: Manabu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fujimoto
authors.forename: Kazuhiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Takehara
authors.forename: Shinichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sato
mesh_terms: D000209:Acute-Phase Proteins / Q000032:analysis*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000032:analysis*; D002248:Carbon Monoxide; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D019084:Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Indirect; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D045743:Scleroderma, Diffuse / Q000097:blood* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D045745:Scleroderma, Limited / Q000097:blood* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D000683:Serum Amyloid P-Component / Q000032:analysis*; D012867:Skin / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D014797:Vital Capacity / Q000502:physiology; D000099153:Pentraxins
chemical_list: D000209:Acute-Phase Proteins; D015415:Biomarkers; D002097:C-Reactive Protein; D002248:Carbon Monoxide; D000683:Serum Amyloid P-Component; D000099153:Pentraxins