Abstract
The idiopathic inflammatory myopathies are diseases of unknown etiology characterized by T cell-mediated myocytotoxicity in polymyositis and complement-mediated angiopathy of muscle fibers in dermatomyositis. A variable degree of fibrosis is present in muscles in these conditions both perimysially and endomysially. We evaluated the expression of TGF-β1, a pleiotropic cytokine with fibrogenic and immunomodulating activity, by means of quantitative-polymerase chain reaction and immunocytochemistry in DM and PM muscle biopsies. TGF-β1 mRNA was significantly higher in DM compared with controls, whereas in PM the values were not significantly different when compared with controls and DM. TGF-β1 was localized in connective tissue but did not correspond with mononuclear cell infiltrates. These findings suggest a correlation between TGF-β1 and connective tissue proliferation in inflammatory myopathy, while its immunomodulatory role remains to be elucidated.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 479-484 |
| Number of pages | 6 |
| Journal | Journal of Neuropathology and Experimental Neurology |
| Volume | 56 |
| Issue number | 5 |
| Publication status | Published - May 1997 |
Keywords
- Connective tissue
- Dermatomyositis
- Fibrosis
- Inflammatory myopathies
- Polymyositis
- Transforming growth factor-β1
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Pathology and Forensic Medicine
- Neuroscience(all)