Polańska Adriana, Bratborska Aleksandra Wiktoria, Kowalczyk Michał J, Żaba Ryszard, Dańczak-Pazdrowska Aleksandra
Department of Dermatology and Venereology, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Poznan, Poland.
Doctoral School, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Poznan, Poland.
Front Immunol. 2025 May 30;16:1588439. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2025.1588439. eCollection 2025.
Morphea is a chronic inflammatory condition characterized by fibrosis of the skin and/or subcutaneous tissues. Adiponectin is an adipokine known for its anti-inflammatory and antifibrotic properties. Lower levels of this protein have been associated with various diseases, but to date, no studies have evaluated adiponectin levels in patients with morphea.
The purpose of this study was to analyze the serum concentration of adiponectin in patients suffering from different types of morphea. Additionally, we aimed to investigate the relationship between adiponectin levels and clinical parameters, as well as the severity of skin involvement.
The study involved 67 patients with morphea and 30 healthy controls. Participants from the study group underwent a thorough clinical evaluation. Serum adiponectin levels were measured in both groups using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits (ELISA).
Serum adiponectin concentrations were significantly reduced in morphea patients compared to healthy controls. We observed no significant differences in adiponectin concentrations among the various morphea types; however, patients diagnosed with morphea en plaque (MEP) or generalized morphea (GM) had significantly lower serum adiponectin concentrations compared to healthy subjects. Furthermore, patients presenting with severe forms of the disease [the group included GM, deep morphea (DM), and linear morphea (LM)] had significantly reduced levels of adiponectin compared to healthy subjects. We found no significant differences in adiponectin levels between patients with active disease and patients in the non-active phase. There were no correlations between adiponectin levels and the localized scleroderma assessment tool (LoSCAT) score or disease duration.
Patients with morphea exhibit significantly lower levels of serum adiponectin, yet these levels do not correlate with the disease severity or activity. Further research is needed to explore the potential role of adiponectin in the pathogenesis of morphea.
硬斑病是一种慢性炎症性疾病，其特征为皮肤和/或皮下组织纤维化。脂联素是一种脂肪因子，以其抗炎和抗纤维化特性而闻名。该蛋白水平降低与多种疾病有关，但迄今为止，尚无研究评估硬斑病患者的脂联素水平。
本研究的目的是分析不同类型硬斑病患者血清脂联素浓度。此外，我们旨在研究脂联素水平与临床参数之间的关系，以及皮肤受累的严重程度。
该研究纳入了67例硬斑病患者和30名健康对照者。研究组的参与者接受了全面的临床评估。两组均使用酶联免疫吸附测定试剂盒（ELISA）测量血清脂联素水平。
与健康对照相比，硬斑病患者的血清脂联素浓度显著降低。我们观察到不同类型硬斑病之间脂联素浓度无显著差异；然而，与健康受试者相比，诊断为斑块状硬斑病（MEP）或泛发性硬斑病（GM）的患者血清脂联素浓度显著降低。此外，患有严重形式疾病（该组包括GM、深部硬斑病（DM）和线状硬斑病（LM））的患者与健康受试者相比，脂联素水平显著降低。我们发现疾病活动期患者与非活动期患者的脂联素水平无显著差异。脂联素水平与局限性硬皮病评估工具（LoSCAT）评分或病程之间无相关性。
硬斑病患者血清脂联素水平显著降低，但这些水平与疾病严重程度或活动度无关。需要进一步研究以探索脂联素在硬斑病发病机制中的潜在作用。
