Dogan Serkan, Piskin Ozden, Solmaz Dilek, Akar Servet, Gulcu Aytac, Yuksel Faize, Cakır Volkan, Sari Ismail, Akkoc Nurullah, Onen Fatos
Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Dokuz Eylul University, Izmir, Turkey.
Rheumatol Int. 2014 Aug;34(8):1129-38. doi: 10.1007/s00296-013-2937-3. Epub 2014 Jan 12.
The current clinical and laboratory parameters of Takayasu arteritis (TA) are insufficient for proper assessment of disease activity. The aims of this study were to investigate the markers of endothelial injury and repair, including circulating endothelial cell (CEC), circulating endothelial progenitor cell (CEPC) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and evaluate their associations with disease activity in patients with TA. Thirty-two patients with TA and 30 healthy age- and sex-matched controls were included in this study. Disease activity was assessed in TA patients using various tools, including Kerr's criteria, the Indian Takayasu's Arteritis Scoring (ITAS2010) and physician's global assessment (PGA). CECs and CEPCs were measured by flow cytometry, and VEGF was measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The CEC level was found to be higher in TA patients than in the healthy controls (HC) (p < 0.001). There was no significant difference in CEC level between the active and inactive patients, but its level was slightly correlated with C-reactive protein (CRP) level. CEPC and VEGF levels in TA patients with active disease were higher than those in the inactive patients and HC. CEPC and VEGF levels were positively correlated with ITAS-CRP and PGA scores. This study shows increased level of CEC in patients with TA. It also suggests that the CEPC and VEGF levels may be correlated with disease activity.
大动脉炎（TA）目前的临床和实验室参数不足以对疾病活动度进行恰当评估。本研究的目的是调查内皮损伤和修复的标志物，包括循环内皮细胞（CEC）、循环内皮祖细胞（CEPC）和血管内皮生长因子（VEGF），并评估它们与TA患者疾病活动度的相关性。本研究纳入了32例TA患者和30例年龄及性别匹配的健康对照者。使用多种工具对TA患者的疾病活动度进行评估，包括克尔标准、印度大动脉炎评分（ITAS2010）和医生整体评估（PGA）。通过流式细胞术检测CEC和CEPC，使用酶联免疫吸附测定法检测VEGF。发现TA患者的CEC水平高于健康对照者（HC）（p < 0.001）。活动期和非活动期患者的CEC水平无显著差异，但其水平与C反应蛋白（CRP）水平略有相关。活动期TA患者的CEPC和VEGF水平高于非活动期患者和HC。CEPC和VEGF水平与ITAS-CRP和PGA评分呈正相关。本研究显示TA患者的CEC水平升高。还表明CEPC和VEGF水平可能与疾病活动度相关。
