title: Plasma paraoxonase activity in patients with systemic sclerosis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a connective tissue disease characterized vascular damage and fibrosis. The aim of this study was to investigate the possible relation between systemic sclerosis and paraoxonase which is an antioxidant enzyme on the HDL.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty nine patients with SSc and 16 healthy subjects (control group) participated in the study. Plasma cholesterol levels, anti-centromere antibody (ACA) levels and paraoxonase (PON) activities were measured.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Lower level of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol was observed in ACA negative SSc patients than in controls. Paraoxonase activity in ACA positive patients was however found to increase relative to control and ACA negative patient groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings suggested that low HDL level in ACA negative SSc patients might be one of the factors leading to some vascular problems, and increased PON activity in ACA positive SSc group might have some role in the limitation of cutaneous sclerotic process observed in these patients. However, these preliminary findings need to be confirmed with a larger sample.
authors.affiliation: Ankara University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Biochemistry, Ankara, Turkey. imgeerguder@yahoo.com
authors.forename: I B
authors.initials: IB
authors.lastname: Ergüder
authors.forename: Sükran
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Erten
authors.forename: Erdinç
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Devrim
authors.forename: Murat
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Turgay
authors.forename: Ilker
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Durak
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000974:Antibodies, Antinuclear / Q000097:blood; D043303:Aryldialkylphosphatase / Q000097:blood*; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012595:Scleroderma, Systemic / Q000201:enzymology*; D014421:Turkey
chemical_list: D000974:Antibodies, Antinuclear; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL; C538950:anticentromere antibody; D043303:Aryldialkylphosphatase