Cutaneous chronic graft-versus-host disease does not have the abnormal endothelial phenotype or vascular rarefaction characteristic of systemic sclerosis.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The clinical and histologic appearance of fibrosis in cutaneous lesions in chronic graft-versus -host disease (c-GVHD) resembles the appearance of fibrosis in scleroderma (SSc). Recent studies identified distinctive structural changes in the superficial dermal microvasculature and matrix of SSc skin. We compared the dermal microvasculature in human c-GVHD to SSc to determine if c-GVHD is a suitable model for SSc.

Methodology/principal findings

We analyzed skin biopsies of normal controls (n = 24), patients with SSc (n = 30) and c-GVHD with dermal fibrosis (n = 133)). Immunostaining was employed to identify vessels, vascular smooth muscle, dermal matrix, and cell proliferation. C-GVHD and SSc had similar dermal matrix composition and vascular smooth muscle patholog

SUBMITTER: Fleming JN 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2705674 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature