1. Anti-vinculin antibodies as a novel biomarker in Egyptian patients with systemic sclerosis.
- Author
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Ibrahim, Noha Hosni, Fawzy, Iman Mahmoud, Gouda, Tahany Mahmoud, El Sayed, Rasha Abdel Hameed, Morsi, Maha Hosni, Sabry, Al Shimaa Mohamed, and Hashaad, Nashwa Ismail
- Subjects
SYSTEMIC scleroderma ,EGYPTIANS ,SCLERODERMA (Disease) ,IMMUNOGLOBULINS ,PULMONARY function tests ,PULMONARY fibrosis - Abstract
Introduction: Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is an autoimmune disorder that causes vasculopathy and scarring, most commonly in the lungs and skin, but it can also affect other organs. Endothelial vinculin plays a critical role in angiogenesis regulation. Therefore, vinculin overexpression in SSc may give rise to anti-vinculin antibodies, which may contribute to the development of SSc vasculopathy. The current research aims to (1) determine whether anti-vinculin autoantibodies play a significant role in the diagnosis of SSc and (2) compare anti-vinculin serum levels between two scleroderma patient populations, namely, pulmonary artery hypertension (PAH)–predominant and interstitial pulmonary fibrosis (IPF)–predominant groups. Methods: This research included 140 participants categorized into three groups: group I—patients with PAH-predominant; group II—patients with ILD-predominant; group III—the control group. Anti-vinculin antibodies were detected in serum samples collected from all participants using ELISA. All subjects underwent high-resolution computed tomography (CT), diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide, and pulmonary function tests. Results: Patients in group I (PAH-predominant group, N = 35) were 41.3 [± 11.4] years old, with 80% being women. Patients in group II (ILD-predominant group, N = 35) were 41.0 [± 11.5] years old. The SSc group showed significantly higher anti-vinculin antibody levels than the control group (P < 0.001). The PAH-predominant group demonstrated significantly higher anti-vinculin antibody levels and anti-vinculin positivity than the ILD-predominant group. Conclusion: Anti-vinculin antibodies in the blood appear to be diagnostic biomarkers for scleroderma. Furthermore, they shed light on some novel perspectives on the pathophysiology of specific lung fibrotic changes. Key Points • This study included two groups of systemic sclerosis patients (PAH-predominant group, ILD-predominant group) as well as a control group to investigate the significance of anti-vinculin antibodies in such cases. • Our results have demonstrated that anti-vinculin antibodies can play a significant role in diagnosing and monitoring systemic sclerosis disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2022
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