ACR Meeting Abstracts

ACR Meeting Abstracts

Abstract Number: 1508

Decrease of Angiogenic T Cells Associated to the Presence of Interstitial Lung Disease in Patients with Connective Tissue Diseases

Verónica Pulito-Cueto1, Sara Remuzgo-Martinez1, Fernanda Genre1, Belén Atienza-Mateo2, Victor M. Mora-Cuesta3, David Iturbe-Fernández3, Leticia Lera-Gómez1, Raquel Perez-Fernández1, Pilar Alonso-Lecue4, Javier Rodriguez-Carrio5, Diana Prieto-Peña6, Virginia Portilla6, Ricardo BLANCO7, Alfosno Corrales6, José M. Cifrián8, Raquel López-Mejías1 and Miguel Ángel gonzalez-Gay9, 1Research group on Genetic Epidemiology and Atherosclerosis in Systemic Diseases and in Metabolic Bone Diseases of the Musculoskeletal System, IDIVAL, Santander, Spain, 2Group "Research in genetic epidemiology and atherosclerosis of systemic diseases and in bone metabolic diseases of the locomotor system", IDIVAL; and Department of Rheumatology, Hospital Universitario Marqués de Valdecilla, Santander, Spain, 3Research group on Genetic Epidemiology and Atherosclerosis in Systemic Diseases and in Metabolic Bone Diseases of the Musculoskeletal System; Department of Pneumology, Hospital Universitario Marqués de Valdecilla, Santander, Spain, 4Research group on Genetic Epidemiology and Atherosclerosis in Systemic Diseases and in Metabolic Bone Diseases of the Musculoskeletal System, IDIVAL; Department of Pneumology, Hospital Universitario Marqués de Valdecilla, Santander, Spain, 5Deparment of Functional Biology, Immunology Area, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad de Oviedo, Oviedo, Asturias, Spain., Oviedo, Spain, 6Research group on Genetic Epidemiology and Atherosclerosis in Systemic Diseases and in Metabolic Bone Diseases of the Musculoskeletal System, IDIVAL; Department of Rheumatology, Hospital Universitario Marqués de Valdecilla, Santander, Spain, 7Hospital University Marqués de Valdecilla, Santander, Spain, 8Research group on Genetic Epidemiology and Atherosclerosis in Systemic Diseases and in Metabolic Bone Diseases of the Musculoskeletal System, IDIVAL; Department of Pneumology, Hospital Universitario Marqués de Valdecilla; School of Medicine, Universidad de Cantabria, Santander, Spain, 9Research group on Genetic Epidemiology and Atherosclerosis in Systemic Diseases and in Metabolic Bone Diseases of the Musculoskeletal System, IDIVAL, Division of Rheumatology, Hospital Universitario Marqués de Valdecilla; School of Medicine, Universidad de Cantabria, Santander, Spain. Cardiovascular Pathophysiology and Genomics Research Unit, School of Physiology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa

Meeting: ACR Convergence 2021

Keywords: , , , ,

Session Information

Date: Tuesday, November 9, 2021

Title: T Cell Biology & Targets in Autoimmune & Inflammatory Disease Poster (1507–1515)

Session Type: Poster Session D

Session Time: 8:30AM-10:30AM

Background/Purpose: Interstitial lung disease (ILD) is one of the most significant complications of connective tissue diseases (CTD) leading to an increase of the morbidity and mortality in patients with CTD, mainly in those with systemic sclerosis (SSc) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) [1]. A specific T cell subset termed angiogenic T cells (TAng), implicated in endothelial repair and revascularization, has been involved in the pathogenesis of CTD [2-4]. However, to the best of our knowledge, no information regarding the role of TAng in CTD-ILD+ is available. Accordingly, we aimed to evaluate the role of TAng related to vascular damage in CTD-ILD+.

Methods: This study included 40 patients with CTD-ILD+: 20 RA-ILD+ and 20 SSc-ILD+. Furthermore, three comparative groups were included: 1) 43 patients with CTD-ILD–: 24 RA-ILD–and 19 SSc-ILD–; 2) 21 patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF); and 3) 20 healthy controls (HC). All subjects were recruited from the Rheumatology and Pneumology departments of Hospital Universitario Marqués de Valdecilla, Santander, Spain. Quantification of TAng was performed from peripheral venous blood by flow cytometry. TAng were considered as triple-positive for CD3, CD31 and CXCR4.

Results: Patients with CTD-ILD+ exhibited a significantly lower TAng frequency than CTD-ILD– patients (p< 0.001). Specifically, RA-ILD+ patients and SSc-ILD+ patients showed a lower frequency of TAng than RA-ILD– patients and SSc-ILD– patients, respectively (p=0.006 and p=0.04, in each case). A decreased TAng frequency was also found in CTD-ILD+ patients when compared with HC (p< 0.001), whereas no difference was observed between CTD-ILD+ patients and those with IPF. In addition, a significant increase of TAng frequency was shown in patients with CTD-ILD– in relation to IPF patients (p< 0.001), while no difference was observed between CTD-ILD– patients and HC.

Conclusion: Our study supports a role of TAng in the vascular damage in CTD-ILD+. Furthermore, our results reveal a decrease of TAng frequency associated to the presence of ILD, both in CTD patients, in particular in those with RA and SSc, and in IPF patients.

References: [1] Expert Rev Clin Immunol 2018;14(1):69-82; [2] Circulation 2007;116(15):1671-82; [3] Ann Rheum Dis 2015 74(5):921-7; [4] PLoS One 2017;12(8):e0183102.

Personal funds, VP-C: PREVAL18/01 (IDIVAL); SR-M: RD16/0012/0009 (ISCIII-ERDF); LL-G: INNVAL20/06 (IDIVAL); RP-F: START PROJECT (FOREUM18/34); RL-M: Miguel Servet type I CP16/00033 (ISCIII-ESF).

Disclosures: V. Pulito-Cueto, None; S. Remuzgo-Martinez, None; F. Genre, None; B. Atienza-Mateo, None; V. Mora-Cuesta, None; D. Iturbe-Fernández, None; L. Lera-Gómez, None; R. Perez-Fernández, None; P. Alonso-Lecue, None; J. Rodriguez-Carrio, None; D. Prieto-Peña, None; V. Portilla, None; R. BLANCO, AbbVie, 2, 5, 6, MSD, 2, 5, 6, Roche, 2, 5, 6, Pfizer, 2, 6, Bristol-Myers, 2, 6, Janssen, 2, 6, UCB Pharma, 2, 6, Lilly, 6; A. Corrales, None; J. Cifrián, None; R. López-Mejías, None; M. gonzalez-Gay, None.

To cite this abstract in AMA style:

Pulito-Cueto V, Remuzgo-Martinez S, Genre F, Atienza-Mateo B, Mora-Cuesta V, Iturbe-Fernández D, Lera-Gómez L, Perez-Fernández R, Alonso-Lecue P, Rodriguez-Carrio J, Prieto-Peña D, Portilla V, BLANCO R, Corrales A, Cifrián J, López-Mejías R, gonzalez-Gay M. Decrease of Angiogenic T Cells Associated to the Presence of Interstitial Lung Disease in Patients with Connective Tissue Diseases [abstract]. Arthritis Rheumatol. 2021; 73 (suppl 9). https://acrabstracts.org/abstract/decrease-of-angiogenic-t-cells-associated-to-the-presence-of-interstitial-lung-disease-in-patients-with-connective-tissue-diseases/. Accessed .

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