neuropeptide-y and Scleroderma--Systemic

To determine the circulating levels of nerve growth factor (NGF), neuropeptide Y (NPY), and vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) in systemic sclerosis (SSc), and to correlate these levels with clinical and laboratory features.. Forty four patients with SSc were evaluated for circulating NGF (immunoenzymatic assay), NPY and VIP (radioimmunoassay), anticentromere and antitopoisomerase I autoantibodies, lung disease (pulmonary function tests with carbon monoxide transfer factor (TLCO), ventilation scintiscan with 99mTc DTPA radioaerosol, high resolution computed tomography (HRCT), pulmonary pressure (echo colour Doppler)), heart disease (standard and 24 ECG, echocardiography), cutaneous involvement (skin score), joint involvement (evidence of tender or swollen joints, or both), peripheral nervous system (PNS) involvement (electromyography), rheumatoid factor, angiotensin converting enzyme (fluorimetric method), von Willebrand factor (ELISA), and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) (Westergren).. Circulating NGF levels in SSc were significantly increased compared with controls (p<0.00001) and significantly higher in the diffuse than in the limited subset of patients (p<0.01). Patients with articular disease had significantly higher levels of NGF. A significant indirect correlation between NGF levels and TLCO was detected (p<0.01), but no correlation was found between NGF and HRCT, DTPA, skin score, PNS involvement and angiotensin converting enzyme and von Willebrand factor levels, antitopoisomerase or anticentromere antibodies, and ESR. NGF levels increased progressively as the disease worsened. Similarly, VIP circulating levels were significantly increased in patients with SSc (p<0.001), whereas the increase of NPY levels did not reach statistical significance. However, both neuropeptides, following the same trend as NGF, increased as the disease worsened (skin score and lung disease).. The increase of NGF and VIP in patients with SSc, the former in the diffuse subset of the disease, and in patients with prominent articular disease, may suggest a link between neurotransmitters and the disease pathogenesis. Neuropeptide circulating levels seem to increase only in patients with the most severe disease.

Topics: Biomarkers; Case-Control Studies; Data Interpretation, Statistical; Female; Humans; Lung; Male; Middle Aged; Nerve Growth Factor; Neuropeptide Y; Neuropeptides; Scleroderma, Systemic; Skin; Statistics, Nonparametric; Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide

The present study was performed to measure concentrations of plasma noradrenaline and neuropeptide-Y-like immunoreactivity in relation to cardiac function in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc).. Plasma noradrenaline was measured by high performance liquid chromatography and neuropeptide-Y by radioimmunoassay in 30 consecutive patients with SSc and 48 sex and age matched controls. Left ventricular (LV) function was evaluated by Echocardiography.. There were no significant differences between patients and controls in either plasma noradrenaline or plasma neuropeptide-Y. LV dysfunction and hypertrophy were common among patients. Plasma Neuropeptide-Y was related only to systolic function, while noradrenaline was related to both systolic and diastolic function as well as to LV hypertrophy.. Patients with SSc develop different forms of myocardial dysfunction without activation of the sympathetic nervous system as evaluated by plasma noradrenaline and neuropeptide-Y; leaving vascular disease of the heart to be a main candidate.

Topics: Adult; Aged; Biomarkers; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; Echocardiography; Electrocardiography; Female; Heart; Hemodynamics; Humans; Hypertrophy, Left Ventricular; Male; Middle Aged; Neuropeptide Y; Norepinephrine; Radioimmunoassay; Reference Values; Scleroderma, Systemic; Ventricular Function, Left

Systemic sclerosis is characterized by vascular dysfunction. Itch is sometimes present in early stages of the disease. This prompted us to study the innervation of the skin by immunocytochemistry. Antibodies to neuropeptide Y and vasoactive intestinal peptide were used for autonomic nerves. Sensory innervation was studied using antibodies to substance P and calcitonin gene-related peptide. Protein gene product 9.5 was used as a general neuronal marker. Skin biopsies from affected (lower arm) and non-affected (upper back) sites on 10 patients with systemic sclerosis and from corresponding sites on 10 sex- and age-matched healthy controls were studied. Regional variations were found in the occurrence of peptidergic nerve fibers. In the patients the density of nerve fibers (measured semiquantitatively) stained by the panneuronal marker was lower in affected than in unaffected skin (p < 0.05). There were no significant differences in peptidergic innervation between patients and controls. However, there was a tendency to higher density of neuropeptide Y-positive nerve fibers in the forearm skin in 6 to 10 patients, as compared to only 1 of 10 healthy controls.

Topics: Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Biopsy, Needle; Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide; Case-Control Studies; Female; Humans; Immunohistochemistry; Male; Middle Aged; Nerve Fibers; Neuropeptide Y; Neuropeptides; Scleroderma, Systemic; Skin; Substance P; Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide