Data Availability StatementThe data used to aid the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon request. of collagen in the skin and internal organs, such as the lungs, gastrointestinal tract, heart, and kidneys [1C4]. It is believed that the reason for fibrosis in the course of SSc is not only the excessive biosynthesis of collagen by stimulated fibroblasts but also the increase in the number of other extracellular matrix (ECM) components, including proteoglycans (PGs) and their constituents, i.e., glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) [1C6]. Changes in PG/GAG metabolism, manifested by the accumulation of these macromolecules in tissues, depend on many factors, including IL-1, IL-4, platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), and transforming growth factor (TGF-in the plasma of patients with systemic sclerosis, when compared to healthy individuals. An analysis of the correlation between the examined parameters and duration of the disease and the value of the Rodnan index was also conducted. 2. Materials and Methods The study was carried out on 106 plasma samples obtained from 64 Polish patients with diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis (52 women and 12 men; mean age 54 years) and 42 age-matched and sex-matched healthy controls. Patients were classified as fulfilling the 2013 ACR/EULAR criteria for SSc [10]. Skin involvement was measured using the modified Rodnan skin score (mRss). The degree of skin thickness is measured in Donepezil 17 body areas on a scale from 0 (normal) to 3 (severe), for a total score range of 0C51 [11]. The average Rabbit Polyclonal to SLC27A4 value of mRss in diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis (dcSSc) patients was 22.03 13.09 Donepezil (mean??SD). The mean disease duration was 4.40 2.23 years. Duration was calculated from the moment of the onset of the first clear clinical manifestation of SSc (excluding Raynaud’s phenomenon). Laboratory workup included complete blood counts (platelets (218.23 88.27 103/levels) tubes. Samples were gently mixed and centrifuged for 10?min at 2500??g; then, the plasma was divided into portions and stored in aliquots at -80C until the initiation of the study. Informed consent was obtained from all participants according to the ethical guidelines of the Declaration of Donepezil Helsinki. The study was carried out with the approval of the Local Ethical Committee of the Medical University of Silesia, Katowice, Poland. All participants gave their written informed consent. No conflicts of interest have occurred during implementation and completion of the study. 2.1. Determination and Removal of Plasma Total GAGs GAGs were isolated by the technique of Volpi et al. olczyk and [12] et al. [13]. GAGs had been released from plasma PG primary protein by papain hydrolysis (24?h, 65C) and alkali eradication (NaOH, 24?h, 40C, and pH?9). Through the obtained hydrolysates, proteins breakdown items and nucleic acids had been subsequently precipitated utilizing a option of trichloroacetic acidity (TCA). The residues had been discarded, as well as the GAGs had been precipitated through the supernatant with the addition of three quantities of acetone (24?hours, in 4C). The glycosaminoglycan sediments acquired due to centrifugation (25000??g, 20?min, and 4C) were dissolved within the potassium acetate option. From the acquired solutions, glycans had been reprecipitated with three quantities of ethanol and still left for Donepezil 12 hours at 4C. Pursuing centrifugation, precipitate was dissolved in H2O, and GAGs had been isolated by precipitation following the addition of cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC). After centrifugation and incubation, GAGs precipitated by CPC were washed with C2H5OH finally.