Angiotensin receptors in Dupuytren’s disease: a target for pharmacological treatment?

Abstract

Background: Attempts at the pharmacological treatment of Dupuytren’s disease have so far been unsuccessful, and the disease is not yet fully understood on a cellular level. The Renin-Angiotensin System has long been understood to play a circulating hormonal role. However, there is much evidence showing Angiotensin II to play a local role in wound healing and fibrosis, with ACE inhibitors being widely used as an anti-fibrotic agent in renal and cardiac disease.

Methods: This study was designed to investigate the presence of Angiotensin II receptors 1 (AT1) and 2 (AT2) in Dupuytren’s tissue to form a basis for further study into the pharmacological treatment of this condition. Tissue was harvested from 11 patients undergoing surgery for Dupuytren’s disease. Each specimen was processed into frozen sections and immunostaining was employed to identify AT1 and AT2 receptors.

Results: Immunostaining for AT1 receptors was mildly positive in one patient and negative in all the remaining patients. However, all specimens stained extensively for AT2 receptors. This suggests that the expression of AT2 receptors is more prominent than AT1 receptors in Dupuytren’s disease.

Conclusion: These findings have opened a new avenue for future research involving ACE inhibitors, AT2 agonists, and AT2 antagonists in Dupuytren’s disease.

Keywords:

• Dupuytren’s disease
• pharmacological
• ACE inhibitors
• Angiotensin II
• AT1 receptor
• AT2 receptor

Acknowledgements

We acknowledge the support of Dr Gunasekar Manoharan and Katherine Ashton for their assistance and practical advice in the laboratories at the University of Central Lancashire and Royal Preston Hospital, respectively. We confirm that the ICMJE requirements on privacy and informed consent from patients and study participants has been followed. All patients included in this study have given written consent to the inclusion of material pertaining to themselves for research, and they have been fully anonymised. We confirm that all mandatory laboratory health and safety procedures have been complied within the course of conducting any experimental work reported in this paper. This includes operating theatre safety and asepsis, and the use of laboratory coats, gloves, and eye protection when handling tissues as well as all materials used for the fixation of slides and the process of immunostaining.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.