TY - JOUR T1 - Serum CXCL16 Concentrations Correlate with the Extent of Skin Sclerosis in Patients with Systemic Sclerosis JF - The Journal of Rheumatology JO - J Rheumatol SP - 1917 LP - 1923 DO - 10.3899/jrheum.090108 VL - 36 IS - 9 AU - KOICHI YANABA AU - EIJI MUROI AU - AYUMI YOSHIZAKI AU - TOSHIHIDE HARA AU - FUMIHIDE OGAWA AU - KAZUHIRO SHIMIZU AU - MARIKO YOZAKI AU - MINORU HASEGAWA AU - MANABU FUJIMOTO AU - KAZUHIKO TAKEHARA AU - SHINICHI SATO Y1 - 2009/09/01 UR - http://www.jrheum.org/content/36/9/1917.abstract N2 - Objective. To determine serum concentrations of soluble CXCL16 and its clinical associations in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc). Methods. Serum CXCL16 levels from 89 patients with SSc were examined by ELISA. In a retrospective longitudinal study, 68 sera from 28 patients with SSc were analyzed (followup 1.3 to 7.3 yrs). Results. Serum CXCL16 levels were elevated in patients with SSc compared with healthy controls (n = 42). Patients with diffuse cutaneous SSc (n = 52) had higher levels of CXCL16 than those with limited cutaneous SSc (n = 37). Serum CXCL16 levels correlated positively with the extent of skin sclerosis. In the longitudinal study, CXCL16 levels generally decreased on a parallel with the improvement in skin sclerosis. Conclusion. CXCL16 levels were increased in patients with SSc, and correlated with the extent of skin sclerosis, suggesting that CXCL16 may have a role in the development of skin fibrosis in SSc. Blockade of CXCL16 interaction might be a potential therapeutic target in patients with SSc. ER -