Publications

Abstract In inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), the chronic inflammation deeply affects the intestinal extracellular matrix. The aim of this study was to investigate if remodeling of the intestinal basement membrane type VI collagen was associated with pathophysiological changes in Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC). Serum from IBD patients (CD: n = 65; UC: n = 107; irritable […]

Abstract BACKGROUND Rupture of atherosclerotic plaques is the major cause of acute cardiovascular events. The biomarker PRO-C6 measuring Endotrophin, a matrikine of collagen type VI, may provide valuable information detecting subjects in need of intensified strategies for secondary prevention. OBJECTIVE In this study, we evaluate endotrophin in human atherosclerotic plaques and circulating levels of PRO-C6 […]

Abstract Type XI collagen has been associated with tumor fibrosis and aggressiveness in patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). The propeptide on Type XI collagen is released into the circulation after proteolytic processing at either amino acid 253 or 511. This allows for a noninvasive biomarker approach to quantify Type XI collagen production. We developed […]

Abstract BACKGROUND The signalling peptide endotrophin is derived through proteolytic cleavage of the carboxyl-terminal during formation of type VI collagen. It is expressed by most descendants of the mesenchymal stem cells lineage, including adipocytes and fibroblasts, and have been proposed to be a central extracellular matrix hormone associated with several age-related diseases. We aimed to […]

Abstract BACKGROUND Lung epithelial damage, activation of the wound healing cascade, and remodeling of the extracellular matrix (ECM) play a major role in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The pro-peptide of type VI collagen has been identified as the hormone endotrophin. Endotrophin has been shown to promote fibrosis and inflammation, whereas von Willebrand factor (VWF) […]

Abstract OBJECTIVE To determine the value of serological biomarkers of collagen degradation/turnover as serum markers of organ involvement in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc). METHODS Serum samples were obtained from 79 SSc patients and 19 healthy control subjects. Types I to VI collagen turnover, excluding type II collagen, were evaluated using nine serological biomarkers. Organ […]

Abstract Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and alcoholic liver disease (ALD) are common causes of chronic liver disease. The overlap between ALD and NAFLD suggests the existence of metabolic steatohepatitis. Development of in vivo models that reflect various aspects of human steatohepatitis is essential for drug discovery. We aimed to characterize several models of steatohepatitis […]

Abstract Anoxic brain injury is the primary cause of death after resuscitation from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) and prognostication is challenging. The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential of two fragments of tau as serum biomarkers for neurological outcome. Single-center sub-study of 171 patients included in the Target Temperature Management (TTM) Trial […]

Abstract OBJECTIVE This study assessed the utility of plasma fragments of propeptides of type III (PRO-C3), V (PRO-C5), and VI (PRO-C6) procollagen for the detection of liver fibrosis in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Patients with T2DM ( = 191) underwent an oral glucose tolerance test, a liver H-MRS, […]

Abstract C-telopeptide of type II collagen (CTX-II) has been shown to be a highly relevant biomarker of cartilage degradation in human rheumatic diseases, if measured in synovial fluid or urine. However, serum or plasma CTX-II have not been demonstrated to have any clinical utility to date. Here, we describe the GPDPLQ ELISA which targets the […]