angiogenin and Rheumatic-Diseases

Vascular abnormalities are one of the common features in rheumatic diseases, but their pathogenesis is still not known. Angiogenin, a molecule implicated in the angiogenic process, may play some roles in such vascular changes. Serum angiogenin concentrations were measured in 21 scleroderma patients, 10 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), 21 patients with dermatomyositis (DM), 5 patients with polymyositis (PM), 11 patients with clinically amyopathic DM (CADM) and 12 normal subjects, with specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Angiogenin mRNA in vivo was determined in skin tissues of 5 DM patients, 4 CADM patients, 5 SLE patients and 7 normal subjects using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reactions. We could not find any significant differences in the serum angiogenin levels among normal subjects and patients with rheumatic diseases. However, when we evaluated the correlation of serum angiogenin levels with clinical features of 32 DM/CADM patients, the patients with increased angiogenin levels had significantly higher aldolase levels than those with decreased levels. On the other hand, angiogenin mRNA is significantly up-regulated in the involved skin of DM and CADM, suggesting that angiogenin expression is up-regulated locally in the skin but not in sera of patients with DM and CADM. In conclusion, dysregulated angiogenin expression may contribute to the pathogenesis of myositis as well as skin involvement via the vascular change in DM/CADM. Further studies with an increased number of patients may help to clarify the relationship between angiogenin and vascular abnormalities in rheumatic diseases and to develop new therapeutic strategies.

Topics: Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; Humans; Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic; Middle Aged; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; Rheumatic Diseases; Ribonuclease, Pancreatic; Skin

Rheumatoid Disease (RD) is associated with increased rates of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Angiogenesis is central to RD, and well-recognized in CVD. We hypothesised that plasma levels of two indices associated with angiogenesis, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and angiogenin, would be higher among RD patients compared to healthy controls (HC), would relate to CVD risk factors, calculated 10-year coronary heart disease (CHD) and stroke risk scores.. 144 clinic patients with established RD and 63 HC were recruited in a cross-sectional study. RD patients were grouped according to the presence (RD-CVD, n=73 or absence (non-CVD RD; n=71) of CVD risk factors. Angiogenin and VEGF levels were quantified by ELISA.. There were no significant differences for VEGF or angiogenin, between RD-CVD, non-CVD RD and HC groups (p=NS). Calculated risks for both CHD (p=0.017) and stroke (p=0.016) were higher when RD-CVD was compared to non-CVD RD and HC. Upon multivariate analysis, methotrexate use (p=0.006) and prior mycocardial infarction (MI) (p=0.034) were associated with higher angiogenin levels; body mass index (BMI) (p=0.034) and presence of RD (p=0.029) itself predicted lower levels. For RD patients, serum creatinine (p<0.001) and CRP levels, VEGF levels, and NSAID/COX2 inhibitor use (all p<0.05) were independently associated with CHD risk; plasma VEGF and serum creatinine levels were independently associated with stroke risk (p<0.05).. Although levels of angiogenin were not significantly different between HC and RD patients, RD may have some influence on their variation. Methotrexate use and prior MI predicted higher angiogenin levels, whilst levels of VEGF were negatively associated with 10-year CHD and stroke risk.

Topics: Biomarkers; Cardiovascular Diseases; Comorbidity; Humans; Neovascularization, Physiologic; Rheumatic Diseases; Ribonuclease, Pancreatic; Risk Factors; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A