Hawkins R A, Claman H N, Clark R A, Steigerwald J C
Ann Intern Med. 1985 Feb;102(2):182-6. doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-102-2-182.
Dermal collagen deposition is the hallmark of the early indurative phase of progressive systemic sclerosis (scleroderma). This process, however, tends to remit in late stages of the disease. Because mast cells are believed to participate in the development of fibrotic processes, we measured the density of the cutaneous mast cell population in clinically involved and uninvolved skin of a group of patients with scleroderma. Mast cell counts in clinically involved skin of patients with early stages of scleroderma (111 +/- 28 [SD] cells/mm2) were significantly greater than those in clinically uninvolved skin of the same patients (58 +/- 26 cells/mm2) and also greater than those of normal controls (50 +/- 14 cells/mm2). Mast cell counts in clinically involved and uninvolved skin of patients with late scleroderma were normal. When mast cell density was analyzed by depth of dermis, an 85% increase was noted in involved papillary dermis and a 152% increase in involved reticular dermis in patients with early scleroderma when compared with densities in controls. These results suggest that mast cells may be important in the pathogenesis of the early cutaneous lesions of progressive systemic sclerosis, perhaps by promoting fibrosis.
真皮胶原沉积是进行性系统性硬化症（硬皮病）早期硬结阶段的标志。然而，这一过程在疾病后期往往会缓解。由于肥大细胞被认为参与纤维化过程的发展，我们测量了一组硬皮病患者临床受累皮肤和未受累皮肤中皮肤肥大细胞群体的密度。硬皮病早期患者临床受累皮肤中的肥大细胞计数（111±28[标准差]个细胞/mm²）显著高于同一患者临床未受累皮肤中的计数（58±26个细胞/mm²），也高于正常对照组（50±14个细胞/mm²）。晚期硬皮病患者临床受累和未受累皮肤中的肥大细胞计数正常。当按真皮深度分析肥大细胞密度时，与对照组密度相比，早期硬皮病患者受累乳头层真皮中肥大细胞密度增加85%，受累网状层真皮中增加152%。这些结果表明，肥大细胞可能在进行性系统性硬化症早期皮肤病变的发病机制中起重要作用，可能是通过促进纤维化。
