how does endothelial cell injury start the role of endothelin in systemic sclerosis内皮细胞损伤是如何开始在系统性硬化症内皮素的作用.pdfVIP

Available online /content/9/S2/S2 Review How does endothelial cell injury start? The role of endothelin in systemic sclerosis David Abraham1 and Oliver Distler2 1Department of Medicine, Centre for Rheumatology and Connective Tissue Diseases, Royal Free Hospital and University College, Rowland Hill Street, London, NW3 2PF, UK 2Center of Experimental Rheumatology and Department of Rheumatology, University Hospital Zürich, Gloriastrasse, CH-8032 Zürich, Switzerland Corresponding author: David Abraham, d.abraham@medsch.ucl.ac.uk Published: 15 August 2007 Arthritis Research Therapy 2007, 9(Suppl 2):S2 (doi:10.1186/ar2186) This article is online at /content/9/S2/S2 © 2007 BioMed Central Ltd Abstract cells, and they are profoundly influenced by the presence of A considerable amount of research time has been invested in growth factors, cytokines, chemokines and potent vasoactive studies aimed at elucidating pathogenic processes in systemic factors. Together, this diverse range of factors is believed to sclerosis (SSc). Despite this, major challenges for biomedical initiate and drive the vascular pathogenesis that leads to science remain, such as identification of the key factors that severe vessel disease and occlusion. Here we focus on one determine susceptibility to SSc, and elucidation of the precise particularly attractive candidate, endothelin, and critically nature of the initiating event that causes endothelial cell injury and examine the cellular and molecular activities mediated