The following is a summary of “Increased oxidative stress response in circulating blood of systemic sclerosis patients – relation to disease characteristics and inflammatory blood biomarkers,” published in the October 2023 issue of the Seminars in Arthritis and Rheumatism by Dziedzic et al.
Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a rare connective tissue disorder with an unknown etiology characterized by organ fibrosis and microcirculation dysfunction. Emerging evidence indicates that SSc is associated with increased oxidative stress, contributing to additional tissue and vascular injury. Using real-time monitoring of protein hydroperoxide (HP) formation by the coumarin boronic acid (CBA) assay, researchers assessed the oxidative stress response in the peripheral blood of patients with SSc (n = 55) and well-matched controls (n = 44).
In addition, they analyzed the association between HP generation and SSc clinics, systemic inflammation, and cellular fibronectin, an emerging biomarker for endothelial injury. Compared to controls, SSc was characterized by a twofold increase in the rate of fluorescent product formation in the CBA assay and a threefold increase in cumulative HP formation (p< 0.001 for both). The dynamics of HP generation were not associated with disease type (diffuse vs. limited SSc), current immunosuppressive therapy use, aberrant nailfold capillary presence, or autoantibody profile. Nonetheless, it was increased in patients with a more severe illness and certain clinical manifestations (i.e., pulmonary hypertension, digital ulcers, and cyclophosphamide treatment), as well as in current or former smokers.
Higher serum CRP, blood eosinophil count, cellular fibronectin levels, and lower hemoglobin concentrations were independent predictors of increased HP formation. Their findings suggest a pro-oxidant imbalance in SSc, which is likely associated with systemic inflammation and endothelial damage. However, extensive prospective studies are required to confirm whether it is also associated with clinical disease progression.
Source: sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0049017223000707
