Oxidative stress in the pathogenesis of systemic scleroderma: An overview

R Vona, A Giovannetti, L Gambardella… - Journal of Cellular …, 2018 - Wiley Online Library
R Vona, A Giovannetti, L Gambardella, W Malorni, D Pietraforte, E Straface
Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, 2018Wiley Online Library
Systemic sclerosis (SS c) is a rare disorder of the connective tissue characterized by fibrosis
of the skin, skeletal muscles and visceral organs. Additional manifestations include
activation of the immune system and vascular injury. SS c causes disability and death as the
result of end‐stage organ failure. Two clinical subsets of the SS c are accepted: limited
cutaneous SS c (lc‐SS c) and diffuse cutaneous SS c (dc‐SS c). At present, the aetiology
and pathogenesis of SS c remain obscure, and consequently, disease outcome is …
Abstract
Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a rare disorder of the connective tissue characterized by fibrosis of the skin, skeletal muscles and visceral organs. Additional manifestations include activation of the immune system and vascular injury. SSc causes disability and death as the result of end‐stage organ failure. Two clinical subsets of the SSc are accepted: limited cutaneous SSc (lc‐SSc) and diffuse cutaneous SSc (dc‐SSc). At present, the aetiology and pathogenesis of SSc remain obscure, and consequently, disease outcome is unpredictable. Numerous studies suggest that reactive oxidizing species (ROS) play an important role in the pathogenesis of scleroderma. Over the years, several reports have supported this hypothesis for both lc‐SSc and dc‐SSc, although the specific role of oxidative stress in the pathogenesis of vascular injury and fibrosis remains to be clarified. The aim of the present review was to report and comment the recent findings regarding the involvement and role of oxidative stress in SSc pathogenesis. Biomarkers proving the link between ROS and the main pathological features of SSc have been summarized.
Wiley Online Library