Intracellular and extracellular localization of transforming growth factor beta in the skin of systemic sclerosis patients

Abstract EN

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a multisystem connective tissue disorder in which there is progressive fibrosis.

It is suggested that the cytokine transforming growth factor beta (TGF- plays a role as a mediator of fibroblast activation in SSc.

The aim of this study was to detect the TGF-beta level in the serum and its expression in the skin of SSc patients and controls to elucidate its role in the pathogenesis and diagnosis of SSc.

We studied 11 definite SSc patients and 10 matched healthy controls.

Serum TGF- level was assessed using the enzyme immunoassay method.

TGF-expression in the skin was studied with immunohistochemistry (IHC).

The serum level of TGF- in our patients showed no statistically significant difference versus the controls.

The results of our IHC of skin lesions showed that in early lesions, TGF- expression was mainly localized in the cytoplasm of fibroblasts in the upper dermis in all cases.

The expression was intense in the cytoplasm of fibroblasts but moderate in the collagen of the papillary dermis.

In late lesions, TGF- was mainly expressed in the collagen in the mid and deep dermis in a diffuse pattern.

TGF- level in the serum showed a positive correlation with its expression in the collagen and a negative correlation with its expression in the fibroblasts.

The results suggest that TGF- might be an ideal candidate as mediator of fibrosis in SSc and its intense expression in fibroblasts of early skin lesions may provide an early diagnostic tool in suspicious cases of SSc.