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Kortam N, Liang W, Shiple C, Huang S, Gedert R, Clair JS, Sarosh C, Foster C, Tsou PS, Varga J, Knight JS, Khanna D, Ali RA. Elevated neutrophil extracellular traps in systemic sclerosis-associated vasculopathy and suppression by a synthetic prostacyclin analog. Arthritis Res Ther 2024; 26:139. [PMID: 39054558 PMCID: PMC11270934 DOI: 10.1186/s13075-024-03379-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2024] [Accepted: 07/16/2024] [Indexed: 07/27/2024] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Neutrophils and neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) contribute to the vascular complications of multiple diseases, but their role in systemic sclerosis (SSc) is understudied. We sought to test the hypothesis that NETs are implicated in SSc vasculopathy and that treatment with prostacyclin analogs may ameliorate SSc vasculopathy not only through vasodilation but also by inhibiting NET release. METHODS Blood from 125 patients with SSc (87 diffuse cutaneous SSc and 38 limited cutaneous SSc) was collected at a single academic medical center. Vascular complications such as digital ulcers, pulmonary artery hypertension, and scleroderma renal crisis were recorded. The association between circulating NETs and vascular complications was determined using in vitro and ex vivo assays. The impact of the synthetic prostacyclin analog epoprostenol on NET release was determined. RESULTS Neutrophil activation and NET release were elevated in patients with SSc-associated vascular complications compared to matched patients without vascular complications. Neutrophil activation and NETs positively correlated with soluble E-selectin and VCAM-1, circulating markers of vascular injury. Treatment of patients with digital ischemia with a synthetic prostacyclin analog boosted neutrophil cyclic AMP, which was associated with the blunting of NET release and reduced NETs in circulation. CONCLUSION Our study demonstrates an association between NETs and vascular complications in SSc. We also identified the potential for an additional therapeutic benefit of synthetic prostacyclin analogs, namely to reduce neutrophil hyperactivity and NET release in SSc patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neda Kortam
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan, 1150 W Medical Center Drive, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Wenying Liang
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan, 1150 W Medical Center Drive, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Claire Shiple
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan, 1150 W Medical Center Drive, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Suiyuan Huang
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan, 1150 W Medical Center Drive, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Rosemary Gedert
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan, 1150 W Medical Center Drive, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - James St Clair
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan, 1150 W Medical Center Drive, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Cyrus Sarosh
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan, 1150 W Medical Center Drive, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Caroline Foster
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan, 1150 W Medical Center Drive, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Pei-Suen Tsou
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan, 1150 W Medical Center Drive, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - John Varga
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan, 1150 W Medical Center Drive, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Jason S Knight
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan, 1150 W Medical Center Drive, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Dinesh Khanna
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan, 1150 W Medical Center Drive, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Ramadan A Ali
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan, 1150 W Medical Center Drive, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA.
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Al-Adwi Y, Atzeni IM, Doornbos-van der Meer B, van der Leij MJ, Varkevisser RDM, Kroesen BJ, Stel A, Timens W, Gan CT, van Goor H, Westra J, Mulder DJ. High serum C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 10 (CXCL10) levels may be associated with new onset interstitial lung disease in patients with systemic sclerosis: evidence from observational, clinical, transcriptomic and in vitro studies. EBioMedicine 2023; 98:104883. [PMID: 37995465 PMCID: PMC10708993 DOI: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2023.104883] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2023] [Revised: 10/26/2023] [Accepted: 11/06/2023] [Indexed: 11/25/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Systemic sclerosis-interstitial lung disease (SSc-ILD) is the leading cause of death in patients with SSc. There is an unmet need for predictive biomarkers to identify patients with SSc at risk of ILD. Previous studies have shown that interferon (IFN) pathways may play a role in SSc. We assessed the use of C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 10 (CXCL10) as a predictive biomarker for new onset of ILD in patients with SSc. METHODS One-hundred-sixty-five (Female, N = 130) patients with SSc (SSc-ILD, N = 41) and 13 (Female, N = 8) healthy controls were investigated retrospectively. CXCL10 protein levels were measured by ELISA. We performed log rank analysis with baseline CXCL10 serum levels. CXCL10 nanoString data from lung tissues obtained from transplanted patients with SSc-ILD were extracted. Fifteen (Female, N = 10) patients with SSc (SSc-ILD, N = 7) were recruited for bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) procedure. Lung fibroblasts were treated with BAL-fluid or serum from patients with SSc with or without ILD. Inflammatory/fibrotic genes were assessed. FINDINGS Serum CXCL10 levels were higher in patients with SSc-ILD compared to SSc patients without ILD [Median (IQR):126 pg/ml (66-282.5) vs. 78.5 pg/ml (50-122), P = 0.029, 95% CI: 1.5 × 10-6 to 0.4284]. Survival analysis showed that baseline CXCL10 levels >78.5 pg/ml have a 2.74-fold increased risk of developing new onset of ILD (Log-rank: P = 0.119) on follow-up. CXCL10 levels in BAL supernatant were not different in patients with SSc-ILD compared to SSc without ILD [76.1 pg/ml (7.2-120.8) vs. 22.3 pg/ml (12.1-43.7), P = 0.24, 95% CI: -19.5 to 100]. NanoString showed that CXCL10 mRNA expression was higher in inflammatory compared to fibrotic lung tissues [4.7 (4.2-5.6) vs. 4.3 (3.6-4.7), P = 0.029]. Fibroblasts treated with SSc-ILD serum or BAL fluids overexpressed CXCL10. INTERPRETATIONS Clinical, transcriptomic, and in vitro data showed that CXCL10 is potentially involved in early SSc-ILD. More research is needed to confirm whether CXCL10 can be classified as a prospective biomarker to detect patients with SSc at higher risk of developing new onset ILD. FUNDING This collaborative project is co-financed by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy of the Netherlands utilizing the PPP-allowance made available by the Top Sector Life Sciences & Health to stimulate public-private partnerships (PPP-2019_007). Part of this study is financially supported by Sanofi Genzyme (NL8921).
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Affiliation(s)
- Yehya Al-Adwi
- University of Groningen, University Medical Centre Groningen, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Vascular Medicine, Groningen, the Netherlands.
| | - Isabella Maria Atzeni
- University of Groningen, University Medical Centre Groningen, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Vascular Medicine, Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Berber Doornbos-van der Meer
- University of Groningen, University Medical Centre Groningen, Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Marcel John van der Leij
- University of Groningen, University Medical Centre Groningen, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Groningen, the Netherlands
| | | | - Bart-Jan Kroesen
- University of Groningen, University Medical Centre Groningen, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Alja Stel
- University of Groningen, University Medical Centre Groningen, Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Wim Timens
- University of Groningen, University Medical Centre Groningen, Department of Pathology and Medical Biology, Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Christiaan Tji Gan
- University of Groningen, University Medical Centre Groningen, Department of Pulmonary Diseases and Tuberculosis, Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Harry van Goor
- Department of Endocrinology, University Medical Centre Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Johanna Westra
- University of Groningen, University Medical Centre Groningen, Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Douwe Johannes Mulder
- University of Groningen, University Medical Centre Groningen, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Vascular Medicine, Groningen, the Netherlands
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Giriyappagoudar M, Vastrad B, Horakeri R, Vastrad C. Study on Potential Differentially Expressed Genes in Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis by Bioinformatics and Next-Generation Sequencing Data Analysis. Biomedicines 2023; 11:3109. [PMID: 38137330 PMCID: PMC10740779 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines11123109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2023] [Revised: 10/31/2023] [Accepted: 11/02/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic progressive lung disease with reduced quality of life and earlier mortality, but its pathogenesis and key genes are still unclear. In this investigation, bioinformatics was used to deeply analyze the pathogenesis of IPF and related key genes, so as to investigate the potential molecular pathogenesis of IPF and provide guidance for clinical treatment. Next-generation sequencing dataset GSE213001 was obtained from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO), and the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified between IPF and normal control group. The DEGs between IPF and normal control group were screened with the DESeq2 package of R language. The Gene Ontology (GO) and REACTOME pathway enrichment analyses of the DEGs were performed. Using the g:Profiler, the function and pathway enrichment analyses of DEGs were performed. Then, a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed via the Integrated Interactions Database (IID) database. Cytoscape with Network Analyzer was used to identify the hub genes. miRNet and NetworkAnalyst databaseswereused to construct the targeted microRNAs (miRNAs), transcription factors (TFs), and small drug molecules. Finally, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used to validate the hub genes. A total of 958 DEGs were screened out in this study, including 479 up regulated genes and 479 down regulated genes. Most of the DEGs were significantly enriched in response to stimulus, GPCR ligand binding, microtubule-based process, and defective GALNT3 causes HFTC. In combination with the results of the PPI network, miRNA-hub gene regulatory network and TF-hub gene regulatory network, hub genes including LRRK2, BMI1, EBP, MNDA, KBTBD7, KRT15, OTX1, TEKT4, SPAG8, and EFHC2 were selected. Cyclothiazide and rotigotinethe are predicted small drug molecules for IPF treatment. Our findings will contribute to identification of potential biomarkers and novel strategies for the treatment of IPF, and provide a novel strategy for clinical therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muttanagouda Giriyappagoudar
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Karnataka Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS), Hubballi 580022, Karnataka, India;
| | - Basavaraj Vastrad
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, K.L.E. Socitey’s College of Pharmacy, Gadag 582101, Karnataka, India;
| | - Rajeshwari Horakeri
- Department of Computer Science, Govt First Grade College, Hubballi 580032, Karnataka, India;
| | - Chanabasayya Vastrad
- Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Chanabasava Nilaya, Bharthinagar, Dharwad 580001, Karnataka, India
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Spinelli FR, Berti R, Farina G, Ceccarelli F, Conti F, Crescioli C. Exercise-induced modulation of Interferon-signature: a therapeutic route toward management of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus. Autoimmun Rev 2023; 22:103412. [PMID: 37597604 DOI: 10.1016/j.autrev.2023.103412] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2023] [Accepted: 08/16/2023] [Indexed: 08/21/2023]
Abstract
Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is a multisystemic autoimmune disorder characterized by flares-ups/remissions with a complex clinical picture related to disease severity and organ/tissue injury, which, if left untreated, may result in permanent damage. Enhanced fatigue and pain perception, worsened quality of life (QoL) and outcome are constant, albeit symptoms may differ. An aberrant SLE immunoprofiling, note as "interferon (IFN)α-signature", is acknowledged to break immunotolerance. Recently, a deregulated "IFNγ-signature" is suggested to silently precede/trigger IFNα profile before clinical manifestations. IFNα- and IFNγ-over-signaling merge in cytokine/chemokine overexpression exacerbating autoimmunity. Remission achievement and QoL improvement are the main goals. The current therapy (i.e., corticosteroids, immunosuppressants) aims to downregulate immune over-response. Exercise could be a safe treatment due to its ever-emerging ability to shape and re-balance immune system without harmful side-effects; in addition, it improves cardiorespiratory capacity and musculoskeletal strength/power, usually impaired in SLE. Nevertheless, exercise is not yet included in SLE care plans. Furthermore, due to the fear to worsening pain/fatigue, SLE subjects experience kinesiophobia and sedentary lifestyle, worsening physical health. Training SLE patients to exercise is mandatory to fight inactive behavior and ameliorate health. This review aims to focus the attention on the role of exercise as a non-pharmacological therapy in SLE, considering its ability to mitigate IFN-signature and rebalance (auto)immune response. To this purpose, the significance of IFNα- and IFNγ-signaling in SLE etiopathogenesis will be addressed first and discussed thereafter as biotarget of exercise. Comments are addressed on the need to make aware all SLE care professional figures to promote exercise for health patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Romana Spinelli
- Sapienza Università di Roma, Dipartimento di Scienze Cliniche Internistiche, Anestesiologiche e Cardiovascolari-Reumatologia, Roma, Italy
| | - Riccardo Berti
- University of Rome Foro Italico, Department of Movement, Human and Health Sciences, Rome, Italy
| | - Gabriele Farina
- University of Rome Foro Italico, Department of Movement, Human and Health Sciences, Rome, Italy
| | - Fulvia Ceccarelli
- Sapienza Università di Roma, Dipartimento di Scienze Cliniche Internistiche, Anestesiologiche e Cardiovascolari-Reumatologia, Roma, Italy
| | - Fabrizio Conti
- Sapienza Università di Roma, Dipartimento di Scienze Cliniche Internistiche, Anestesiologiche e Cardiovascolari-Reumatologia, Roma, Italy
| | - Clara Crescioli
- University of Rome Foro Italico, Department of Movement, Human and Health Sciences, Rome, Italy.
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Sagonas I, Daoussis D. Treatment of digital ulcers in systemic sclerosis: recent developments and future perspectives. Clin Rheumatol 2023; 42:2589-2599. [PMID: 36847929 PMCID: PMC10497679 DOI: 10.1007/s10067-023-06511-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2022] [Revised: 01/07/2023] [Accepted: 01/09/2023] [Indexed: 03/01/2023]
Abstract
Digital ulcers (DUs) comprise the main manifestation of vasculopathy and are a major cause of disability in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc). A literature search in Web of Science, PubMed and Directory of Open Access Journals was performed in December 2022 to identify articles published in the last decade regarding the management of DUs. Prostacyclin analogues, endothelin antagonists and phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitors have shown promising results both as a stand-alone treatment and in combination for the treatment of existing and prevention of new DUs. Moreover, autologous fat grafting and botulinum toxin injections, although not readily available, can be of use in recalcitrant cases. Many investigational treatments with promising results could pave the way for a paradigm shift in the treatment of DUs in the future. Despite these recent advances, challenges remain. Better-designed trials are of paramount importance to optimise DU treatment in the years to come. Key Points • DUs are a major cause of pain and reduced quality of life in patients with SSc. • Prostacyclin analogues and endothelin antagonists have shown promising results both as a stand-alone treatment and in combination for the treatment of existing and prevention of new DUs. • In the future, a combination of more powerful vasodilatory drugs, perhaps in conjunction with topical approaches, may improve outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ioannis Sagonas
- Rheumazentrum Ruhrgebiet, Ruhr-University Bochum, Herne, Germany
| | - Dimitrios Daoussis
- Department of Rheumatology, Patras University Hospital, University of Patras Medical School, Patras, Greece.
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