title: Analysis of serum amyloid A in sarcoidosis patients.
abstract: A crucial pathogenetic role of serum amyloid A (SAA) in granulomatous inflammation of sarcoidosis has recently been reported. In this study we analyzed SAA expression in detail, starting from proteomic analysis of serum of sarcoidosis patients. We also used the faster ELISA method that enabled us to examine a greater number of samples. Serum concentrations of SAA were significantly higher in sarcoidosis patients than controls (p<0.001), inversely correlated with FEV(1) and significantly higher in patients with subacute onset requiring prolonged and multiple steroid treatments (class 6 SCAC) than in patients with subacute onset not requiring therapy (class 4 SCAC) (p<0.001). Our results suggest that serum amyloid A could be a suitable marker of sarcoidosis: its serum concentrations are significantly higher in sarcoidosis patients than controls, the protein is only expressed in gels of sarcoidosis patients and not in healthy subjects, and the SAA1 isoforms could match the unidentified biomarker of sarcoidosis reported in a previous proteomic study by another group. The effectiveness of SAA as a clinical biomarker of sarcoidosis should now be investigated in a large prospective study.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Medicine and Immunological Sciences, Respiratory Diseases Section, Siena University, Le Scotte Hospital, Viale Bracci, 53100 Siena, Italy. bargagli2@gmail.com
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bargagli
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Magi
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Olivieri
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Bianchi
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Landi
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Rottoli
mesh_terms: D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D015180:Electrophoresis, Gel, Two-Dimensional; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017565:Sarcoidosis, Pulmonary / Q000097:blood*; D000685:Serum Amyloid A Protein / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D000685:Serum Amyloid A Protein