Inherited connective tissue diseases highlight macromolecular network interdependences in skin extracellular matrix: a histomorphometric study

ABSTRACT

Mutation of just a single extracellular matrix protein, a receptor or enzyme involved in connective tissue metabolism is sufficient to cause systemic pathologies and failure of tissues that are subjected to strong mechanical stresses. Skin histological and computerized image analyses can provide a good qualitative and quantitative indication of these inherited connective tissue diseases. In this study, skin biopsies from young (10 to 25 years) and middle-aged patients (26 to 50 years) suffering from Ehlers-Danlos syndromes (EDS), Marfan syndrome (MS) or pseudoxanthoma elasticum (PXE) were studied after specific staining of both the collagen and elastic networks. Findings from the histomorphometric analyses conducted on skin sections of the patients with EDS, MS and PXE were compared to skin sections of healthy subjects from the same age groups. Our results show that both the collagen and the elastic networks were affected in all the studied pathological cases, but that the adverse changes to the elastic network in older patients were distinct from the physiological changes observed during aging process for healthy subjects. This degenerative process may be explained by an added phenomenon involving a general connective tissue proteolysis.

KEYWORDS:

• (+)catechin fuchsin
• histomorphometry
• inherited connective tissue disease
• picrosirius red
• skin
• collagen
• elastic fibers

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

The study was funded by the Saint-Joseph University of Beirut, Sorbonne Paris Nord University and EBI association for this research, authorship, and/or publication of this article